<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Coffee Breaks (with Love) by Angelpetal83</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22831993">Coffee Breaks (with Love)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelpetal83/pseuds/Angelpetal83'>Angelpetal83</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Super Junior</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon Universe, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Misunderstandings, Romance, side: teukchul, yehyuk</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 13:35:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>21,357</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22831993</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelpetal83/pseuds/Angelpetal83</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>One day, Eunhyuk decides to make a move. Yesung is confused.</p><p>The members seem to know what is going on. Except him.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kim Jongwoon | Yesung/Lee Hyukjae | Eunhyuk</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>120</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Part I</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Disclaimer: This work is pure fiction. This was basically created for the sake of entertainment purposes only.</p><p>Notes[1]: This is for all the YeHyuk fans out there! Please bear with the cheesiness and cliche scenes; it's my first time writing this kind of story. I hope everyone will enjoy this at least!</p><p>Notes[2]: So I made an Ao3 account. I actually already have one here, but it's anime-focused, so... yeah. It's better to separate the two for now. XD</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><em><strong>W</strong></em>hen Eunhyuk's arms wrapped around Yesung's waist while they were chilling in the waiting room, the latter paid it no mind, already used to this kind of thing.</p><p>Since they were preparing for a shoot in a popular variety show, all the members of Super Junior were leisurely chatting with each other in the room while some were in their own little world, like Kyuhyun who was playing games on his laptop and Heechul browsing through his phone. Yesung, on the other hand, was checking the news online, standing near one of the tables that provided snacks for them. He had heard casual footsteps approaching him from behind, and that was when he felt Eunhyuk hugging him. As to how Yesung knew that it was him, he didn't know, but he just had a feeling.</p><p>Sometimes, Yesung wondered why the younger boy was acting like this to him recently. In the past few years, Yesung had actually been the one who initiated the skinship between them, finding his dongsaeng adorable despite the latter teasing him needlessly and annoyingly. Eunhyuk rarely touched Yesung first, mostly because he preferred to tease his hyung using the words coming out of his lips. That was fine, since Yesung relished the mock-irritated expressions on Eunhyuk's face whenever he hugged him, the latter often "asking for help" from Donghae whenever he did this. Yesung liked this kind of Tom-and-Jerry relationship between them; it was how they bonded, how they became much closer to each other. Even if Yesung often got annoyed, Eunhyuk knew that his hyung never took the jokes seriously. It was how much he loved him.</p><p>"What is it, Hyukjae-ya?" Yesung inquired, seemingly still focused on his phone. However, he was curious as to why his dongsaeng was being unnaturally quiet, which was why he referred to him with his real name.</p><p>Eunhyuk was still silent, but Yesung could feel his arms tightening their grip on his waist. With that response he received, Yesung whirled his head towards the younger, his eyes glimmering with worry. "What's wrong?" he asked softly. "Are you nervous?"</p><p>Eunhyuk wasn't even looking at him. His head was buried against Yesung's back, refusing to acknowledge his hyung's gaze. That only worried Yesung further.</p><p>"Eunhyuk-ah?" he prodded, his gaze insistent as he tried for a different tone, silentlg urging the younger to look at him in the eyes. For a brief moment, Yesung's eyes darted across his surroundings, trying to see if any of their members noticed Eunhyuk's slightly odd behavior. Unfortunately, it seemed that all of them were still in their own little world. Kyuhyun was still focused on his laptop, but now Siwon and Ryeowook were looking at the screen as well, looking immersed in Kyuhyun's battles with his opponent. Leeteuk was discussing something with the PD, Shindong by his side providing additional comments. Heechul, on the other hand, was busy taking selcas of him and Donghae on his phone.</p><p>Hesitantly, Yesung lifted a hand and let it rest on Eunhyuk's head, his fingers running through the younger's dark hair. Eunhyuk didn't seem to respond to the touch, although Yesung noticed his shoulders stiffen when he made contact.</p><p>Yesung didn't say anything, only continuing to caress the top of Eunhyuk's head. He figured that it would be better to give the younger a bit more time; he didn’t mind being patient. They still had thirty minutes before the shoot, so none of them were in a hurry.</p><p>After what seemed like an eternity, Eunhyuk finally spoke up, his voice small and soft.</p><p>“I missed you, hyung.”</p><hr/><p>-;-</p><hr/><p><em><strong>E</strong></em>unhyuk could tell that Yesung was looking at him with a surprised expression on his face. Eunhyuk knew that Yesung couldn’t have possibly noticed anything, anyway, because Eunhyuk was the one who was aware of everything down to the tiniest detail.</p><p>“What are you talking about, Hyukjae-ya?” Yesung exclaimed.</p><p>Eunhyuk didn’t answer right away.</p><p>His mind slowly wandered back to the past few months with his members. They had been so busy for their comeback, promoting their new album on shows and performing them on multiple stages. Their sudden busier schedule after all nine of the members finally finished their military service left them with always having something to do. While Leeteuk welcomed it, being a workaholic and preferring to have something to keep his mind and body busy, Eunhyuk was torn in between exhaustion and excitement. He loved being able to be with the other members again; he felt hyped, but due to the amount of work he currently had, sometimes he had to force himself to seem happy for the sake of his fans as well as his bandmates. He didn’t regret it though; everything was going to be worth it in the end.</p><p>However, it seemed that due to their hectic workloads, Yesung hadn’t been talking to him.</p><p>Not intentionally, of course. Eunhyuk had noticed that Yesung was practicing his voice more often and going on another diet. He was also working hard to master the new dance moves for their upcoming performances and super show. Yesung had been talking to Ryeowook and Kyuhyun more often, probably planning another KRY album, and Eunhyuk hadn’t been teasing him lately because he was busy, too, with choreography and directing along with Shindong.</p><p>Eunhyuk hadn't expected it, but he became aware of the fact that he missed messing with his hyung. He missed the latter's touches, too.</p><p>He wanted that attention once more.</p><p>"I haven't been teasing you a lot lately, hyung," Eunhyuk finally answered, making his tone a lot lighter than normal. "I missed you."</p><p>There was a pregnant pause for a moment before Eunhyuk felt Yesung's shoulders shake a little and the sound of chuckling escaping the older man's lips. Eunhyuk liked hearing his hyung's laugh even though he never mentioned it to the man. There was just something contagious about it and he wanted to hear it a lot often.</p><p>Suddenly, Eunhyuk felt a strong pair of arms embracing and pulling him closer. Yesung had apparently shifted his position so that he was facing the younger and now Eunhyuk was being trapped in an affectionate hug.</p><p>"Why can't you always be this cute?" Yesung remarked playfully, squeezing his dongsaeng to his chest and earning him a weak muffle of protest.</p><p>"Ahh, <em> hyung </em>~!" Eunhyuk said, squirming a little in embarrassment. "Don't treat me like a kid."</p><p>Yesung ruffled his hair, still chuckling. "But you <em> are </em> a kid," he teased. "To me, at least."</p><p>Eunhyuk pulled away, pouting. "Hyung, we should have dinner together later!"</p><p>Yesung blinked, still taken aback by Eunhyuk's rather odd, clingy behavior. "Well… I'm meeting my little brother later…" He saw the disappointed gleam in Eunhyuk's eyes and couldn't contain a smile. "Okay, okay, I got it," he said soothingly, placing an arm around his dongsaeng's shoulders. "We'll have dinner together later, just the two of us."</p><p>Eunhyuk's expression visibly brightened. "Really?"</p><p>Yesung laughed again. "Yeah, really! Seriously, why are you suddenly acting like this?" he asked curiously. "Is this a hidden camera prank or something?"</p><p>Eunhyuk laughed. It was like music to Yesung's ears. "I just missed you, hyung! See you later, all right?"</p><p>At that moment, their manager called them. It was time for the shooting to start.</p><hr/><p>-;-</p><hr/><p><em><strong>Y</strong></em>esung couldn't stop himself from smiling continuously as he slung his bag over his shoulder. Their shoot had ended just now and they were currently going to their respective vans. Leeteuk, Heechul, Kyuhyun, and Shindong still had a few schedules left for the night while the rest were permitted to go home and rest. He and Ryeowook were supposed to share a van, but the latter was dragged along by Donghae and Siwon who wanted to eat out at a new luxury restaurant they'd eagerly wanted to go to. Apparently, Eunhyuk had told them of his and Yesung's plans together since he was walking beside Yesung towards his van. Yesung was internally glad that Ryeowook and the others, especially Donghae, didn't ask questions as to why he and Eunhyuk were suddenly spending time together. He didn't feel like it was the right time to receive their usual teasings, so he was grateful towards Siwon who had successfully distracted the two by declaring that the expensive dinner was going to be on his tab.</p><p>"Hyung, where are we gonna eat?" Eunhyuk asked him excitedly as they adjusted themselves inside the van.</p><p>"Well, where do you want to go?" Yesung inquired, knowing better not to mention cafés to his dongsaeng since the latter didn't seem fond of them.</p><p>However, Eunhyuk was proving to be a surprise to him today. "Let's go to that cute café you've been frequenting lately!" he suggested with a grin. "The pictures you posted on SNS were really pretty shots of the place!"</p><p>"Oh?" Yesung said, surprised. "I thought you didn't like cafés?"</p><p>"I don't mind going to one today as long as I'm with hyung," Eunhyuk said casually as he whipped out his phone and started fiddling with it.</p><p>Yesung could only stare at him, if only for a brief moment. <em> Well, this is new, </em> he thought to himself in amusement as he shook his head at his dongsaeng's sudden eagerness to spend time with him. <em> Usually, I'm the one who has to force him to keep me company. And now… </em></p><p>When they arrived at their destination, Yesung was about to get out of the car when he suddenly felt his arm being gripped, and the next thing he knew, he was being pulled to Eunhyuk’s side as the latter positioned his phone in front of them.</p><p>“Yesung-hyung, let’s take a selca!” Eunhyuk said cheerfully, his smile crinkling the corner of his eyes. He looked like a happy kid at that moment, much to Yesung’s amusement.</p><p>“Okay, okay,” Yesung agreed mildly, still caught off-guard by Eunhyuk’s rather strange, clingy behavior. <em> And usually I’m the one who has to force him to take a selca with me… how ironic. </em></p><p><em> I wonder</em>, Yesung thought to himself as they both got out of the car, <em>how long has it been since I’ve last interacted with Hyukjae? </em></p><p>It hadn’t been intentional, of course. Yesung had been happy to have KRY back, and he’d been doting on Kyuhyun a lot ever since he was discharged from the military, much to the latter’s slight displeasure. Yesung had always been attached to his dongsaengs and wanted to spend time with them more, so he hadn’t realized that, aside from during their practice times and brief cheering before performances, he was actually ignoring Eunhyuk, the one whom he’d been close to back when they had their Black Suit and Lo Siento comebacks. He could even recall spending time with Donghae as they conversed often during plane trips. With Eunhyuk, however, he couldn’t even remember a time when he playfully wrapped his arm around the younger’s shoulders as he always did.</p><p><em> I think I made him feel lonely during those times, </em> Yesung thought to himself, feeling both bittersweet and amused at the same time. <em> I’m a bad hyung for not paying attention to my cute little dongsaeng. </em></p><p>As they settled in the café, waiting for their orders — surprisingly, Eunhyuk had asked Yesung about possibly every dish on the menu, to which the latter gladly obliged — Yesung took this opportunity to clear his head of unanswered questions.</p><p>"So, Eunhyuk-ah," Yesung began, his lips curving into a soft yet playful smile, "you missed hyung so much, didn't you? I never knew you could express your hidden love for me this way." he teased.</p><p>Eunhyuk's head shot up from his phone. "A—Ah…" he stammered, something which was unlike him. "Y—Yeah, hyung… That's right..."</p><p>Yesung's brows shot up to his hairline in shock. Not only was his prideful (whenever it came to him, of course) dongsaeng blushing, he was also basically agreeing with what Yesung said. Yesung had only meant it as a joke, as an icebreaker to ask Eunhyuk about how he'd been doing lately and that he was sorry they hadn't spent much time together lately since their latest comeback.</p><p>But he had never actually expected Eunhyuk to admit to it instead of his usual denial phrases or playfulness.</p><p>Yesung studied his dongsaeng’s face carefully, his brows furrowed in concentration.</p><p>Eunhyuk shifted in his seat uncomfortably. “Wh—What?” he spoke up, sounding oddly nervous. “Why are you looking at me like that?”</p><p>“Hm, so I guess you haven’t lost your informal speech with me after all. You were starting to freak me out.” Yesung laughed, his deep voice filling in the silence that had been there between them.</p><p>“What’re you talking about, hyung?” Eunhyuk pouted, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “Aren’t you happy that we’re finally spending time together like this?”</p><p>Yesung was slightly taken aback by the sudden seriousness of his tone. “Well… it’s just that…” he chose his words carefully. “You don’t usually act like this, Hyukjae-ya. Is there something I’m missing here?”</p><p>“Hyung, why are you acting so suspicious?” To Yesung’s surprise, Eunhyuk sounded hurt. “I just want to spend time with you. I missed you... a lot.” Eunhyuk leaned closer to him, his gaze imploring. “You missed me too, right, hyung?”</p><p>The underlying hope in Eunhyuk’s tone stabbed Yesung in the heart and guilt seeped into his chest. Eunhyuk was right; why should Yesung even be questioning his dongsaeng’s intentions with him? He and Eunhyuk had always gotten along well with each other despite their constant bickerings, despite their opposite personalities. If he felt like he was seeing a new side of Eunhyuk today, then perhaps he wasn’t spending enough time with him lately. The thought of it made Yesung feel even more guilty.</p><p>“Yah, of course I missed you too, idiot," Yesung told him affectionately, leaning across the table and ruffling Eunhyuk's fluffy brown hair. It used to be neon green a while back when they were first promoting Super Clap, but afterwards Eunhyuk removed the dye and decided not to color his hair anymore. At least, not anytime soon. His strands were damaged already due to too much coloring and he had to care more for it now.</p><p>Eunhyuk grinned, looking happy even as Yesung retracted his hand back to his side. "I knew you couldn't resist me, hyung," he boasted teasingly.</p><p>"Yep. I'm always the one who clings to you and forces you to spend time with me," Yesung said, chuckling as he poured more tea to his almost empty cup.</p><p>Suddenly, the atmosphere between them turned silent. Puzzled, Yesung placed the tea holder back in place and glanced at Eunhyuk, who seemed to be averting his gaze a bit shamefully.</p><p>"Hyukjae-ya?" Yesung questioned. "What's wrong? Did hyung say something embarrassing again?" he joked a bit, trying to lighten up the air.</p><p>To his surprise, Eunhyuk shook his head and looked him in the eyes. "I'm sorry, hyung," he said quietly. "...I always pushed you away and teased you too much, didn't I? I'm sorry… I won't do that to you ever again."</p><p>Startled, Yesung shook his head, confusion stirring in his chest. "Eh?! Wh—What are you talking about, Hyukjae-ya?" he said in shock. "Yah, what happened to you? We're family, aren't we?? That kind of thing is normal; just because you love teasing me too much doesn't mean that I thought any less of you," Yesung said seriously, his eyes unconsciously narrowing as they intensified their gaze on Eunhyuk. "I love you. That's never going to change. All right?"</p><p>Eunhyuk stared at him for a moment, his lips parted slightly. He looked a bit dazed.</p><p>Yesung tilted his head slightly, curious as to why his usually talkative dongsaeng wasn't saying anything in response. "Hyukjae-ya?" he said softly, reaching out to take Eunhyuk's hand in his out of comfort.</p><p>However, Eunhyuk beat him to it and gently laced their fingers together, his usual gummy smile suddenly seeming to brighten up the whole room.</p><p>"I love you too, hyung," he said sincerely.</p><p>Yesung flushed, not used to hearing those kind of words from his dongsaeng's lips. "All right, all right, let's stop this and finish our tea," he halted with a smile. "I know you don't like cheesy talks like this." He then proceeded to retract his hand from Eunhyuk's grasp.</p><p>However, the latter was still holding onto him tightly, even with just one hand. "Hyung," he said, his tone suddenly low and deep, "you do know that the kind of love I meant is a different kind, right?"</p><p>Yesung blinked, confused. "What?" <em> What's he talking about now? </em></p><p>"I said," Eunhyuk repeated patiently, "you do know—"</p><p>However, Yesung's eyes suddenly caught someone coming inside the café. It was Leeteuk and Heechul — wait, <em> what </em>?! Since when did those two come to cafés together? And in disguises, no less! Even though they hid their faces with masks and hoodies and sunglasses, Yesung could recognize them as clear as day. They weren't together for more than 17 years since trainee days for nothing, after all.</p><p>"—different, right?" Eunhyuk was saying.</p><p>Yesung snapped out of his quick trance and rapidly let his gaze rest on Eunhyuk. Guilt again seeped into his chest as he realized that he'd been too distracted to pay attention to what Eunhyuk had been saying.</p><p>Deciding to play it safe so he wouldn't hurt Eunhyuk's feelings, Yesung responded, "Yeah, of course, Hyuk-ah."</p><p>Eunhyuk's eyes suddenly shone with shock and delight. "R—Really, hyung?! Th—Then… does that mean y—you…"</p><p>Yesung was so confused now. Had he missed something important? Maybe he shouldn't have pretended, after all. This seemed like it could have ugly consequences in the end. "Uh… Hyuk-ah—"</p><p>But Eunhyuk carried on as if he weren't speaking, "I—I never thought — wah, I was so <em> surprised</em>! My heart was beating so fast I thought it was gonna burst out of my ribcage!" he exclaimed almost dramatically, pressing his palm against his chest. "I—I never knew… you cared about me as well…" he finished shyly, blushing.</p><p>Yesung blinked, then laughed, leaning over to ruffle his dongsaeng's hair. "Silly. Of course I care about you. What made you think otherwise?" he said fondly. "You're always so cute whenever you're like this."</p><p>Eunhyuk stared at him in amazement. “Wow, hyung… you’re so calm about all this.”</p><p>“Huh? Why wouldn’t I be?” Yesung grinned. “I don’t mind telling and showing you how special you are to me.”</p><p>The rest of the day went by with Eunhyuk blushing furiously while Yesung gave him the occasional teasing remarks. He also didn’t forget to file away the sight of Leeteuk and Heechul inside his mind so that he’d remember to ask them about it later.</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>tbc</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Part II</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><em><strong>A</strong></em> week passed, and Yesung felt irritated. He was still on a strict diet because of their comeback, so going on days without food in his stomach was lowering his enthusiasm bit by bit. As much as he desperately wanted to munch on the snacks laid on the table before him, he knew that the calories would make his weight fluctuate once more and all his efforts would be for naught.</p><p>However, as Yesung chanced a glimpse at Eunhyuk's imploring gaze, he could feel his walls crumbling into dust.</p><p>"Hyung," Eunhyuk pleaded, "just one! Please eat at least <em>one </em> thing! You look so sickly and pale these days…"</p><p>Yesung was torn. Lately, and <em> strangely</em>, Eunhyuk had been hanging out with him a lot. Usually, they'd both be with their respective groups, Eunhyuk with Donghae and Shindong while Yesung with Kyuhyun and Ryeowook. However, Eunhyuk seemed to be spending all his time with him lately, even going so far as to bring him food every time they had a break from their schedules. Granted, the waiting rooms always had snacks in them, but Eunhyuk made an effort to buy other kinds of snacks, like baked cupcakes or things like that. The ones with calories and high sugar content, much to Yesung's dismay.</p><p>Of course, somewhere deep in Yesung's heart, he knew he was touched, but he was far too confused and slightly irritated to pay the emotion full focus.</p><p>"Hyuk-ah," Yesung said as patiently as he could. "I appreciate it. Really, I do, but… you know that I can't."</p><p>"Just one won't kill you, hyung," Eunhyuk insisted.</p><p>"Hyukjae, I told you, I <em> can't</em>!" Yesung finally snapped, his irritation reaching its breaking point.</p><p>However, instead of backing away in fear like he always did, Eunhyuk stared at him, his face expressionless.</p><p>There was a tense silence between the two of them before Eunhyuk broke it.</p><p>"Hyung, I know it's hard for you," he began, "and I know how much effort you put into this."</p><p>Yesung just stared back silently.</p><p>"But you're precious to me," Eunhyuk continued on, "and I don't want you to suffer."</p><p>Yesung took a deep breath, ready to retort with his annoyance spiking.</p><p>But Eunhyuk continued on, "Your face was never swollen. You always looked handsome to me. Your weight was fine, I loved it because you were healthy.<em>You </em> always thought that you were an outcast, <em>I </em> never did, because hyung has always been the only one I see. I know you're angry with me now, but even if you curse at me a thousand times, I won't just stand by and let you starve yourself again."</p><p>All of this was said in a quiet voice, with Eunhyuk's emotionless face speaking volumes about his struggling restraint.</p><p>"I'm sorry hyung, but this is how much I love you."</p><hr/><p>-;-</p><hr/><p><em><strong>Y</strong></em>esung was confused. So very confused.</p><p>His members seemed to be cold to him recently, especially after his argument with Eunhyuk a few days ago. Yesung didn't know what the big deal was; he and Eunhyuk would make up with each other soon, of course, since it was childish to keep being angry over such a small thing. All of them had fought with each other tons of times and made up soon after. Heck, the cold shoulders wouldn't even <em> last </em> a week.</p><p>It had hardly even been three days and it seemed like the whole world was against him suddenly.</p><p>Yesung was determined to ignore everything and just focus on performances instead, but then Ryeowook approached him.</p><p>"Hyung," he said flatly, "I heard you and Eunhyuk-hyung fought."</p><p>Yesung stood still, staring at him. The members had always been pushy and intrusive whenever it came to fights, so this wasn't anything new, but they were usually just wanting to stop the tension, to persuade those involved to cease the issue between them.</p><p>However, Ryeowook seemed cold, <em>disappointed </em> even. It even seemed like he was judging Yesung for what he did.</p><p>"Yeah. What about it?" Yesung finally spoke.</p><p>Ryeowook frowned. "Hyung, if it were any other person, I wouldn't even be angry like this. But you and Eunhyuk-hyung need to make up."</p><p>Yesung raised an eyebrow. "What difference does it make if it's Eunhyuk who I had a fight with? Both of us had fought a few times in the past. You never acted this hostile to me back then."</p><p>Ryeowook groaned. "Hyung, that's because it's <em>different</em> now, isn't it? This isn't like the past anymore. Right now, you two have to set aside your differences with each other and set a compromise. It's what others like you two should do."</p><p>The confusion went back to Yesung. "Others like us? Wait, forget that." A migraine had set in. "Hyukjae and I will make up soon. Just let us take our time, all right, Ryeonggu?" he told the younger man, trying to retain his calmness.</p><p>Ryeowook still seemed disapproving, but he nodded nevertheless. "Fine… but let me tell you this, hyung: Eunhyuk-hyung has always been ready to make up with you. You're the only one who's ignoring him." Then he walked away.</p><p>Yesung gritted his teeth. When he got older, his temper had mellowed out a lot. In his younger days, he was fairly hot-tempered, almost rivalling Heechul's constant mood swings, but he always cared about his dongsaengs, being the third oldest in the group. He often just laughed off jokes now instead of meaninglessly reacting to them and he didn't mind being 'bullied' by the other members since he knew very well that they loved him just as much as he did.</p><p>However, it was beginning to strain him. Days without eating a proper meal, stress due to promotions, and insomnia were starting to take a toll on him. He would usually endure all these without a problem because his members were often supportive, but having all of them treating him like this was stressing him out.</p><p>It hadn't only been Ryeowook who approached him lately. There was Donghae, who talked to him briefly before performing onstage, telling him that Eunhyuk seemed sad, especially because Yesung was ignoring him. Then there was Heechul, who visited the members while they were rehearsing.</p><p>He had taken Yesung aside when break time rolled by.</p><p>"Jongwoon-ah, I know it's hard, especially for you," Heechul told Yesung calmly. "But it would only strain things between you two if you let this go on any longer. And hyung doesn't want this to become a bad memory for your relationship."</p><p>"Our relationship is <em> fine </em> and it's still <em> going </em> to be forever," Yesung said almost exasperatedly, not noticing the awed and surprised expression on Heechul's face. "I really don't know why you are all making a big deal of this. The two of us are adults and we can take care of our own issues. All I'm asking is for more time. I'm not exactly in the right state for talking since I'm stressed and I just want to clear my mind for a while. Isn't that reasonable enough?"</p><p>Heechul opened his mouth to say something, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him from doing so.</p><p>"We understand, Yesung-ah." Leeteuk's familiar voice drifted into their ears. "Take as much time as you need. Heechul-ah, I think your manager is looking for you."</p><p>Heechul looked at Yesung, then at Leeteuk. Then he nodded, gave them both a farewell wave, and went on his way down the hallway.</p><p>Leeteuk smiled at Yesung. "Don't mind him. Rather, don't mind the members, all right? They're just being protective, especially since Eunhyuk seemed down lately."</p><p>There it was again. The guilt. It began eating at Yesung's heart and he averted his gaze slightly from the older man. "Sorry, hyung," he said quietly, sincerely. "I'm just… irritated lately."</p><p>Leeteuk placed an assuring hand on his dongsaeng's shoulder. "I told you, it's fine. I understand how you feel. It's similar to what I felt back when Heechul and I fought at Incheon backstage." He let out a hearty laugh at that.</p><p>Yesung couldn't contain a smile. "Then I'm glad that it isn't Heechul-hyung who I fought with. That must've been difficult for you."</p><p>Leeteuk chuckled again. "No, I think <em> he </em> was the one who was scared of me at the time," he said teasingly.</p><p>Yesung laughed at that, nodding to show that he agreed. "You're scary when you're angry, hyung."</p><p>Leeteuk ruffled his hair affectionately. "No I'm not. My fans call me an angel," he said, laughing along.</p><p>Yesung swatted away his hand playfully, his mood already alleviating. "By the way, hyung," he began. "What were you and Heechul-hyung doing in Rosamond Café a week ago?"</p><p>Leeteuk blinked, apparently not expecting that question. "Rosamond Café? What… a—ah."</p><p>Yesung didn't know whether to look surprised or amused. His hyung seemed nervous.</p><p>"Eyyy, something's going on?" Yesung teased. "What is it?"</p><p>"Well, we were… uh…" Leeteuk couldn't seem to look Yesung in the eyes.</p><p>Now Yesung was really intrigued. "C'mon, hyung, I know you can't lie~"</p><p>Leeteuk's face turned red at that statement. "No, no, it's not what you think! We were… uhh…" His eyes darted around as if trying to find a means of escape.</p><p>But Yesung grabbed him by the wrist and blocked the only path leading to the hallway. "Hyung, why are you so nervous? Look, your pulse is racing!" he remarked, laughing as he pressed against the pulse point on Leeteuk's wrist.</p><p>"<em>Yah</em>! If Eunhyuk finds out, he'll kill us," Leeteuk groaned.</p><p>"What? Why?" Yesung blinked. "Weren't you and Heechul-hyung on a date?"</p><p>Leeteuk looked so surprised that Yesung started to have second thoughts about his initial assumption. "<em>Date </em> ? Me and Heech— no, we were just spying— I—I mean, <em> break time's over</em>! Gotta go, Yesung-ah!" With that, Leeteuk pulled away from Yesung's grasp, which had slackened in doubt, and walked faster than the latter had ever seen him do before.</p><p>Yesung stared at the corner where Leeteuk disappeared to, eyes still blinking slowly as if trying to process what had just happened.</p><p>"Spying on <em> what</em>?" he wondered aloud.</p><hr/><p>-;-</p><hr/><p><em><strong>W</strong></em>hen tomorrow came, Yesung still couldn't stop thinking about it. His irrational mood, the behavior of his members, the way Eunhyuk kept on sending him sad, longing glances… it was driving him crazy. He felt like he was being observed on, like he was being pressured, but he didn't know <em> what</em>. All he knew was that he needed some cool air for the moment, just to relax.</p><p>So he went out and jogged during the night, about an hour before their scheduled practice, passing through the bridge where few people frequented. It was still early out, so it wasn't a dangerous time to be outside.</p><p>The sound of Super Junior's ballad song blasted through his ears, letting his heartbeat calm down to a regular pace. There were a lot of things to think about, and his relationship with Eunhyuk was one of them.</p><p>It was strange. Nothing seemed to really change between them, but there was just <em> something </em> about it now. It was as if Yesung was the only one who was out of the loop. It was confusing him, but he knew better than to ask Eunhyuk about it. Yesung had always been an overthinker, after all, and he would probably hurt Eunhyuk's feelings again if he questioned about it.</p><p><em> I guess the only way to possibly clarify things is by apologizing</em>, Yesung finally decided to himself. It wasn't like Eunhyuk did anything wrong in the first place, but Yesung hadn't been in the best of moods at that time, and his strict diet was affecting him much more than he thought. It was probably because he was getting older, but that wasn't the point. He still loved Eunhyuk, still saw him as family and couldn't imagine life without him, without Super Junior. Family fought with each other all the time, but the important thing was that each one knew when to lower their pride at the right time.</p><p>After jogging, he found himself going inside the SM building, sweating slightly but cooling quickly due to the cold night air.</p><p>Yesung took a deep breath before opening the doors to the practice room. He made sure to arrive a little earlier than usual, hoping to catch Eunhyuk alone if ever the latter also happened to come early.</p><p>And his prayers were answered. In the middle of the large, quiet room, there was Eunhyuk, sitting in front of the mirror with a faraway look on his face. There was a half-eaten burger and a coke in front of him, indicating that he was currently eating what he called his dinner.</p><p>Yesung took a step towards him. Then another.</p><p>However, the sound of his shoes moving across the floor jolted Eunhyuk out of his trance, causing the latter to raise his head in surprise.</p><p>Eunhyuk's jaw dropped open. "H—Hyung?" he said, as if he couldn't believe his eyes.</p><p>Yesung stared down at him, suddenly unsure of what to say. Eunhyuk looked tired, almost ragged. The dark circles under his eyes were starting to look prominent, and it was obvious that he hadn't even bothered to comb his hair since it was messy and sticking out in different directions. There was hope, longing, and sadness in Eunhyuk's eyes, something that tugged at Yesung's heartstrings. He hadn't meant to make the younger feel bad, but it was still his fault that things became this way, so Yesung took another step towards him and slowly sat down in front of him.</p><p>"Hyuk-ah," Yesung began, "I'm sorry."</p><p>Eunhyuk stared at him, looking as if he was frantically looking for the right words to say. However, Yesung beat him to it, having thought a lot about how he should apologize properly.</p><p>"I know I was angry at you that time, and you scolded me for not taking better care of myself," Yesung said quietly. "I know you weren't lying when you said those words to me, believe me, I do. However… it's hard, Hyukjae-ya. I'm touched by your real and sincere thoughts about me, but because I have low confidence and self-esteem, your beautiful words couldn't pierce into my mind. It even almost felt like you were mocking me, that you were saying those things to me just to make me feel better. That you were treating me like a stupid child who needed to be said those things in order to wake up to reality."</p><p>"But hyung," Eunhyuk said weakly, almost stuttering in sadness and disbelief, "you know that's not what I…"</p><p>"I know," Yesung said simply, calmly. "I've known you for more than 18 years already, Hyukjae-ya. We've been together since we were trainees. We've seen each other's ups and downs. We've fought a lot of times, said hurtful things to each other, but in the end… we'd always say 'I love you'."</p><p>Yesung saw tears glimmering in Eunhyuk's eyes and he chuckled, beckoning the younger to come to his outstretched arms.</p><p>Eunhyuk didn't even hesitate and scooted over to his hyung, wrapping his arms around Yesung's waist and letting himself be trapped in his hyung's warm embrace.</p><p>"Aish, I made you cry again," Yesung said fondly, his soft voice drifting into Eunhyuk's ears. "I've been such a bad hyung to you these days."</p><p>"No," Eunhyuk disagreed, his voice muffled as he pressed his face against Yesung's clothed chest. "For me, hyung has always been the best."</p><p>Yesung chuckled again and patted Eunhyuk's hair, letting his fingers run through the soft black tresses. "I've been really sensitive lately, especially with the new, strict diet routine I'm carrying out. I haven't been able to sleep well, too, and I think I'm getting more stressed nowadays," Yesung explained. "You just caught me at a bad time… I was trying to cool off my head and talk with you when I'm in a reasonable state of mind, but I guess I hurt you too much. Again… I'm sorry, Hyuk-ah." Yesung pressed his face against Eunhyuk's hair, smelling the younger's  fresh shampoo. "I love you."</p><p>There was a sob, then a chuckle as Eunhyuk gripped Yesung's clothes, pulling his hyung as close to him as possible. "I love you too, hyung… Thank you."</p><hr/><p>-;-</p><hr/><p><em><strong>F</strong></em>rom then on, everything seemed to change bit by bit.</p><p>Because Yesung was adamant about his diet as well as the food he was going to eat for each meal, Eunhyuk took it upon himself to research healthy snacks that Yesung could eat in-between schedules. With some help from Ryeowook, he learned how to slice fruits and store them, boil nuts, create chicken salad, and also how to shop for ingredients. Being someone who only knew how to cook ramen and nothing else, it had been a surprise that Eunhyuk made so much effort to learn and do these things in a span of a week.</p><p>Which was why when Eunhyuk plopped a glass container filled with apple slices on the table in front of Yesung, the latter just stared at him in surprise.</p><p>"Hyung, I sliced these for you. Eat them all," Eunhyuk told him excitedly, looking proud of his accomplishment.</p><p>Yesung blinked. "Wait… you made these… for <em> me</em>?" he stated, bewildered, as he opened the glass lock and picked up a slice.</p><p>Eunhyuk nodded. "It's a tasty apple. I tried some earlier."</p><p>Yesung was still in disbelief, but he popped the apple slice into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully.</p><p>Eunhyuk stared at him expectantly.</p><p>Yesung smiled, then ruffled the younger's hair affectionately. "It's delicious. Thank you, Hyuk-ah. Did you learn how to peel and slice these for me?"</p><p>Eunhyuk nodded, looking pleased with himself. "Next time, I'll make more tasty snacks! Healthy ones with low calories. That's fine for your diet intake, right, hyung?"</p><p>Yesung laughed. "Yes, it is. Thank you."</p><p>The following day, Eunhyuk brought him some mixed nuts. After that, avocado slices. And then a lot more. Eunhyuk also often took him to cafés without Yesung even inviting him first. Eunhyuk normally didn't like coffee, but he didn't seem to mind all that much.</p><p>"Hyung, I think this café au lait could really use a lot more sugar," Eunhyuk commented, scowling slightly as he kept on sipping his cup.</p><p>Yesung placed a hand on his mouth to muffle his laughter in the quiet café. "Would you like to taste my cappuccino instead? They put in two sugar cubes and more cream. Maybe you'll like it." Yesung gently pushed his half-empty cup towards Eunhyuk's direction.</p><p>Eunhyuk was staring at the cup in silence, notably the part where there was evidence of Yesung's chapstick on the rim.</p><p>Yesung followed his gaze and burst into an embarrassed chuckle, nervously rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry… I guess I put on too much," he said sheepishly, rotating the cup so that a clean rim faced Eunhyuk. "Just don't drink with the side I used."</p><p>Eunhyuk looked like he was about to laugh. "Yesung-hyung really is like a girl sometimes," he teased. "Lipstick stains? <em> Really</em>?"</p><p>Yesung couldn't fight the blush that burned his cheeks. "Yah, be quiet and drink already," he said, flustered, as he grabbed a piece of cookie from a small plate on the table.</p><p>At that moment, Yesung thought that Eunhyuk really <em> did </em> exist just to tease him. With a mischievous grin on his face, Eunhyuk swiped the cup from the table, rotated it sideways, and drank from the part where Yesung's chapstick stain was. Yesung spluttered in embarrassment, but couldn't contain his bewildered laughter as well.</p><p>"Yah, yah!! Stop that, that's gross!"</p><p>"Why not?? It's still tasty."</p><p>"Aish, stop teasing already—"</p><p>"You know, hyung is right. This <em> does </em> taste good!"</p><p>"Stop changing the subject!"</p><p>The two of them hastily left the café after playing around a bit more, giggling as they remembered the dirty look the waiter had given them for being too loud and disruptive.</p><p>As they walked through the cold weather, Yesung smiled as Eunhyuk rambled on about what happened on his D&amp;E concert in LA, listening attentively to every word the younger was saying. The biting cold was making his hands grow stiff, so he placed them inside the pockets of his jacket, hoping that the heat would warm them enough.</p><p>"Hyung's cheeks are too red from the cold," Eunhyuk remarked, stopping in his tracks and turning to face Yesung. As the latter stood still, Eunhyuk arranged the scarf around Yesung's neck, properly tying it and covering every area of his neck. Eunhyuk's glove-covered hands brushed lightly against Yesung's face, tingling the latter's skin.</p><p>Then Eunhyuk suddenly swooped his left hand towards Yesung's right jacket pocket, gently cradling the older's hand in his own. Yesung stared at him in surprise, in disbelief that Eunhyuk would do this of his own free will, but the latter just gave him a warm grin.</p><p>"Hyung's hand is so small," he said. "It's a perfect fit, right?"</p><p>With that, Eunhyuk walked him to his apartment, waving goodbye and reminding him that he was going to fix Yesung a healthy lunch tomorrow before their rehearsals.</p><p>Yesung was bewildered, but he couldn't deny that he appreciated the kind gestures. He didn't know why Eunhyuk was suddenly very clingy with him and paid a lot more attention to him these days, but Yesung had to admit that the attention was nice. In the past and till now, he had always been the one constantly looking out and taking care of his dongsaengs. Since Leeteuk and Heechul were his only hyungs in the group, and both of them always had busy schedules, Yesung was sometimes left in charge of controlling the others. Of course, Leeteuk checked up on him at times and Heechul would hang out with him occasionally, but most of the time, they were busy with their own work.</p><p>And Yesung realized that, ever since Eunhyuk started doting on him, he had felt happier recently. His occasional mood swings lessened, his tendency to curse was reduced, and his gestures of affection towards his members increased. He hugged Ryeowook more than usual, poked at Kyuhyun often, clung to Siwon more than the latter, and spent lots of time with Donghae. Of course, he also hung out almost every day with Eunhyuk, finding his company a lot more comfortable than usual. It was as if they had slipped into a natural sort of dynamic, adjusting quickly to the odd transition in their relationship, and just going along with the flow.</p><p>However, things started to change again when Yesung gave the custom-made rings for all of his members.</p><p>
  <em> Thank you and love, always. </em>
</p><p>That was what he engraved on the insides. His members seemed happy and appreciative of his gesture, and as they all shouted their trademark cheer, Yesung gripped Eunhyuk's hand as they all raised their hands, laughing. Eunhyuk looked surprised at this, but he smiled and squeezed back, albeit hesitantly.</p><p>But then, after that, Yesung noticed that Eunhyuk began distancing himself from him a bit. It was subtle at first, but as the days went on, Eunhyuk lessened their café visits, didn't bring him healthy snacks that often, and even sometimes didn't answer Yesung's calls. It bothered Yesung a lot more than it should despite the fact that that was how Eunhyuk normally behaved towards him in the past.</p><p>Yesung hated to admit it, even to himself, but he missed Eunhyuk already. The damn brat had wormed his way into Yesung's heart and attached himself there. Yesung had grown so used to Eunhyuk clinging onto him like a koala that he hadn't realized how much it meant to him until it was starting to fade.</p><p>So Yesung made a decision. Since Eunhyuk's birthday was coming up in a few weeks, he knew he had to prepare for it.</p><hr/><p>-;-</p><hr/><p><em><strong>"L</strong></em>ooks like you messed up again, huh, hyung?"</p><p>Kyuhyun's amused yet somewhat mocking voice drifted into Yesung's ears as he painstakingly worked on Eunhyuk's birthday gift. Yesung raised his head and glared at Kyuhyun in response, but the latter was busy attacking enemies on his laptop, not even fazed with the fact that Yesung was burning holes onto his back.</p><p>"Shut up," Yesung muttered as he began to place the finishing touches.</p><p>Kyuhyun chuckled. "That's what you get for being so oblivious. Seriously, hyung, it's like you've never had a girlfriend before."</p><p>Yesung frowned at that, but was still immersed in his work. "What does me having a girlfriend have to do with my relationship with Eunhyuk?"</p><p>Kyuhyun shrugged. "You have a point, but you still gotta pay more attention to Eunhyuk-hyung. You keep treating him like he's just as equal as the rest of your dongsaengs."</p><p>Yesung scowled, but pondered about it. <em>What's he talking about? </em> he thought to himself as he hastily brushed off stray particles from the papers. <em> Hyukjae is special to me, but Kyuhyun wants me to give him special treatment? Is it because Hyukjae has been sticking to me a lot lately? Do the other members consider the two of us best friends already like Hyukjae and Donghae are? </em>Yesung shook his head, continuing to focus on his carefully-prepared gift. <em>They're becoming weirder and weirder each day… Must be because we're all getting older and more sentimental already. </em></p><p>When the day of Eunhyuk's birthday finally came, Yesung found himself standing in front of the door to Eunhyuk's apartment, carrying a paper bag in his right hand and his phone in the other. He had messaged Eunhyuk earlier but had only gotten a reply just now.</p><hr/><p>
  <b>iMessage</b>
</p><hr/><p>
  <b>You</b>
</p><p>Hyuk-ah</p><p>Do you have time?</p><p>Can you meet me outside your apartment building for a bit?</p><p>
  <em> Seen 9:21 AM </em>
</p><p>
  <b>SJ Hyukjae</b>
</p><p>Sure, hyung</p><p>I'm finished dressing</p><p>I'll be out in a minute</p><hr/><p>-;-</p><hr/><p><em><strong>Y</strong></em>esung barely had time to compose his nerves before the door in front of him suddenly swung open, revealing a shocked Eunhyuk staring right at his face.</p><p>"<em>Hy—Hyung?" </em> he stammered, completely surprised. "What are you doing here — I mean, I thought we agreed to meet outside the building—"</p><p>Yesung didn't let him finish his sentence. After placing his phone in his pocket, he stepped forward and embraced the younger, wrapping his arms around Eunhyuk. Then, gently, he pushed the back of Eunhyuk's head against his shoulder, an intimate gesture that allowed the younger to nestle the area of his collarbone.</p><p>Yesung could hear a muffle of surprise coming from Eunhyuk, but he paid it no heed, continuing to cradle the younger to him protectively.</p><p>"Happy birthday, Hyuk-ah," Yesung said softly, a smile curving his lips.</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>tbc</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Part III</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><strong>Note:</strong> Since I just <em>HAD</em> to insert Eunhyuk's birthday in this fic, the timeline is messed up and has now created a contradiction. Therefore, for clarification, the chronological events that happened in the real timeline <strong>don't</strong> apply here~ Thank you for understanding ♡</p><hr/><p><em><strong>E</strong></em>unhyuk’s apartment hadn’t changed a bit since Yesung last went here. But there wasn't much space to rearrange the furniture to begin with, so it was understandable.</p><p>At the back of Yesung’s mind, he could recall Eunhyuk saying that he was lonely in the apartment and wished to move back to the dorms with Kyuhyun. He didn't know what to feel about that, whether he, too, wanted to move back to the dorms with them or it was something else that he couldn't pinpoint just yet.</p><p>But, ever since he stepped into the living room when Eunhyuk invited him in, the latter was quiet. <em> Too </em> quiet, in fact.</p><p>There were a few kinds of silence. A comfortable silence, an awkward silence, an unnoticed silence, and a tense silence. This one was definitely the <em> latter</em>, and it was doing nothing to ease Yesung's racing heartbeat. Also, Eunhyuk looked like he had something to say, but was trying hard to keep it to himself.</p><p>Yesung wondered what was on his mind. Was something bothering him? He didn't seem angry. Didn't seem sad, either. Yesung couldn't read him at the moment,  especially with that poker face.</p><p>Eunhyuk had been surprised and even seemed happy when Yesung greeted him for his birthday, but as the moment passed, the coldness slowly settled back in, the same as what Yesung felt from Eunhyuk that was directed towards him recently. It was confusing him. It was like there was something unresolved in the air which was waiting to be talked about.</p><p>Finally, Yesung sighed, placing the paper bag on Eunhyuk's dining table and turning to the younger with a determined look in his eyes.</p><p>"Eunhyuk-ah," he said softly, causing said man to meet his gaze. "I think we need to talk."</p><p>At the sound of Yesung's voice breaking the silence, Eunhyuk's posture stiffened as if he just snapped out of a trance. An unsure expression crossed his features and he clasped his hands together, a sign that he was nervous. "Now, hyung?" he asked quietly.</p><p>Yesung nodded in response. "We can't celebrate your birthday freely if we don't clear this air between us." He walked over to the couch, sat on it, then patted the empty space beside him. "Come here," he beckoned.</p><p>Eunhyuk obeyed silently, plopping himself beside his hyung. Unfortunately, he still couldn't look Yesung in the eyes.</p><p>Yesung sighed again, knowing that he needed to step up and initiate the confrontation himself.</p><p>"What's bothering you, Hyuk-ah?" he asked gently, reaching out and squeezing the younger's shoulder as a gesture of comfort. "You know you can always tell me what it is. I'm worried about you."</p><p>Eunhyuk suddenly turned to him at that moment, causing Yesung to reflexively retract his hand. "<em>Are </em> you, really, hyung?" he almost whispered. "Or is that just your own courtesy?"</p><p>Yesung winced at the sudden accusatory tone in Eunhyuk's voice. "Hey, what are you talking about? I care for you—"</p><p>"But not the same way as <em> I </em> do, am I right?" Eunhyuk interrupted.</p><p>Yesung blinked, suddenly feeling like he was losing control of the situation. "What?" he said, dumbfounded.</p><p>The poker-faced expression settled back in Eunhyuk's features. Yesung could clearly see the restraint in the younger's eyes. What was happening? Why did Eunhyuk seem so hurt, so frustrated? What had he <em> done</em>?</p><p>"Then…" Eunhyuk spoke after the unbearable silence. "I'll do <em> this </em> to make you understand."</p><p>Yesung was about to ask him what when Eunhyuk suddenly cradled his face in his hands, leaned in, and kissed him.</p><p>Yesung's brain froze. Suddenly, all his senses heightened. It felt like the room was closing in on them, the way Eunhyuk's palms felt cold and clammy, and yet Yesung could only feel warmth pooling in his face, sending heat down his body. With his eyes still wide-open from surprise, he could see that Eunhyuk's were tightly shut, his expression revealing a kind of desperation Yesung had never expected to see. It was all too much for him, but he stayed still and closed his eyes, trying hard to process everything in his mind. However, it was hard to concentrate when all he could feel was the softness of Eunhyuk's lips, how his own arms unconsciously lifted as if to hold the younger and reciprocate. It was <em> maddening</em>.</p><p>The kiss wasn't deep; both of their lips were closed, like pressing skin against skin, and Yesung couldn't help but notice the warm scent coming from Eunhyuk, the way their noses uncomfortably bumped against each other, the way Eunhyuk's hands trembled slightly against the skin of his face. Both of them couldn't dare tilt their heads, for it would be an invitation to deepen the kiss, and that wasn't either of their intention.</p><p>However, Eunhyuk's message was sent across <em> quite </em> clearly.</p><p>And, as quickly as it was initiated, it ended abruptly, Eunhyuk pulling away first, leaving Yesung in a state of shock. When they opened their eyes, they locked gazes, and for some reason only Yesung seemed to be flustered while the hurt on Eunhyuk's face seemed to grow by the second. The latter eventually bowed his head, hand raised to clutch at his hair, and Yesung could only wish that he had imagined the kiss and how he suddenly felt like it wasn't all <em> that </em> bad.</p><p>It felt like an eternity before Eunhyuk finally broke the silence.</p><p>"Hyung," he began in a low voice, and Yesung swallowed the sudden lump in his throat, "when I told you I loved you back at that café… when I told you that my feelings were different than what you thought it was…" Eunhyuk raised his head, his unnaturally steely eyes piercing through Yesung's own. "...you… didn't actually understand what I meant, did you?"</p><p>There was a beat of silence.</p><p>"...What?" Yesung's mind was reeling. <em> Did he say that? </em></p><p>"I've been thinking about it for a while now," Eunhyuk continued on as if Yesung hadn't spoken. "You kept on treating me the same as if nothing happened. In fact, it felt more like <em> I </em>was the one who kept pushing myself onto you.”</p><p>Yesung’s brows furrowed in confusion. “What?” he repeated dumbly, still unable to process the puzzling information he just heard. In fact, everything still felt like a dream he couldn't believe just happened. This kind of thing hadn't even occurred in his wildest dreams.</p><p>“You see?” Eunhyuk’s tone raised slightly in frustration. “You’re still <em> clueless</em>! You really <em> didn’t </em> understand! Damn it, how could I have been so <em> stupid </em> as to not notice it in the first place?!”</p><p>Panic stabbed itself in Yesung’s chest as he began to worry about Eunhyuk’s increasing anger. No, was it <em> disappointment</em>? “Hyukjae-ya, calm down,” he tried. “Let’s… let’s talk about this.”</p><p>However, Eunhyuk’s gaze was unfocused, and his hands were trembling slightly. “Did you know…? I liked you ever since you started getting clingy with me,” he whispered, loud enough for Yesung to hear. “Ever since we started the promotions for Black Suit. You kept on hugging me, clinging to me, even kissing me sometimes. You had no idea, did you? You had <em> no </em> idea how much your actions affected me.”</p><p>Yesung was again stunned to silence.</p><p>“I wanted to make you notice me more. I kept on teasing you then, and it thrilled me whenever you’d give me attention. I craved every single bit of it.” Eunhyuk’s tone was slowly becoming flat, uncaring. “I <em> liked </em> you, I <em> loved </em> you, call it as you will. The members knew, too. Apparently, I was being too obvious.” He let out a somewhat sarcastic laugh. “I was being too obvious and yet you never even noticed.”</p><p>Yesung swallowed the lump in his throat as he detected the hurt in Eunhyuk’s voice. Once again, he blamed himself for being oblivious about this kind of thing. Had he not cared enough? Was that why he was unable to notice that things between them from Eunhyuk’s end had transitioned into something different other than friendship?</p><p>For years, the eighteen or nineteen years they had been together, it had never crossed Yesung’s mind that he would feel something other than platonic love for any of his members. They were his family, his brothers. It was weird to have romantic feelings for a sibling.</p><p>However, he and Eunhyuk along with the others weren’t even related by blood. It wasn’t actually as <em> impossible </em> as he had thought it to be, but it was still difficult to see someone you considered as a younger brother differently.</p><p>Granted, Yesung felt more comfortable with Eunhyuk among the others, and he had no problem initiating skinship with him, but… it was still hard. He had done all those actions with no serious strings attached, which was why it was no big deal back then.</p><p>But <em> now</em>? He wasn’t so sure anymore. In fact, everything was still so confusing. He needed time alone. He needed time to <em> think</em>.</p><p>But Yesung stayed still, frozen in his position, still listening to Eunhyuk as the latter muttered curses under his breath for the huge misunderstanding that loomed over their heads like a dark cloud.</p><p>Yesung wanted to say something, like how it wasn’t exactly Eunhyuk’s fault, but he was again frozen. He hated it, <em> hated </em> himself. Was there even <em> anything </em> he could do right?</p><p>“Do you know why I’ve been trying my best to avoid you lately?” Eunhyuk suddenly said.</p><p>Then, when Yesung didn’t answer, he continued on, “It’s because I was jealous. I didn't like it when you gave the others more attention than what you gave me. I felt like I wasn't anything special to you. I was sad, I was hungry for your affection. I wanted to distance myself from you and clear my head. But now that it's come to <em> this— </em> " Eunhyuk choked slightly on his words, the tears starting to well up in his eyes. "—I don't know what to do anymore. It—It feels like I'm the bad guy who forced — who <em> involved </em> you in my own delusion. <em> I </em> was the <em> only </em> one who thought we were in <em> love</em>. Hah…" He shook his head. "Truly, an <em> idiot </em> in love."</p><p>"Hyuk-ah—"</p><p>"Please don't pity me, hyung…" Eunhyuk begged, burying his face in his hands. "It's hard enough as it is… I feel so guilty… I feel so <em> stupid</em>. I'm so, <em> so </em> sorry."</p><p>"No…" Yesung stammered, quickly embracing the younger in his arms. It was all he could do. "No. Don't blame yourself… I—I don't pity you, Hyukjae-ya. I'm not mad. I'm not the slightest bit angry…" he kept on rambling, only focused on alleviating the guilt that was lying heavily on the younger's shoulders like blocks of cement. "Please… I didn't mean to…"</p><p>Eunhyuk trembled in his arms. "I'm sorry, hyung…" he repeated, his voice muffled as his face was pressed against Yesung's chest. "I've made things… so awkward between us."</p><p>"No, no…" Yesung replied immediately. "It's not going to be awkward. Nothing will change. I—I promise you that."</p><p>There was a beat of silence before Eunhyuk responded lifelessly, "You don't have to say that to make me feel better, hyung…"</p><p>Yesung had nothing to say to that, but clutched Eunhyuk to him tighter, his mind already formulating whatever solution he could make to resolve this.</p><hr/><p>-;-</p><hr/><p><em><strong>I</strong></em>t was now two days after that incident. Yesung had told Eunhyuk that they wouldn't tell what happened between them to the other members. Eunhyuk protested, but Yesung insisted that it was what they should do for now.</p><p>Meanwhile, Yesung wanted to talk to the others separately. Perhaps it was to clarify something, or perhaps it was to dig deep inside his own heart.</p><p>"Wook-ah," Yesung spoke up as he and his two dongsaengs went for coffee together, "what do you think about my relationship with Eunhyuk?"</p><p>Ryeowook blinked, then answered easily, "You're both a strange combination of a couple, but you kinda suit each other."</p><p>"Why are you asking all of a sudden?" Kyuhyun quipped from beside Ryeowook, busy eating the cookies on the plate in front of him.</p><p>"I just want to hear you guys' opinions," Yesung answered simply.</p><p>Kyuhyun shrugged. "If you ask me, it's like Eunhyuk-hyung's the lovesick puppy while <em> you're </em> the one who's all carefree and unchanging."</p><p><em> Ouch</em>, that hurt. Yesung ignored the subtle mockery in Kyuhyun's voice and continued, "But I <em> do </em> love him."</p><p>Ryeowook nodded after he took a sip of his iced coffee. "You may not show it all the time, hyung, but I can see that you <em> do </em> care for Eunhyukkie-hyung."</p><p>"Yeah, as if all those clinging and kisses weren't enough," Kyuhyun interjected.</p><p>Yesung blinked. "What do you guys mean?"</p><p>Ryeowook frowned. "What's with you, hyung? I thought you're the one who knows your own feelings best."</p><p>"Ah… yeah," Yesung said unsurely, staring at the rim of his empty cup. Suddenly, he remembered the time he shared that indirect kiss with Eunhyuk. It had been mortifying, but…</p><p>"Ah, that look," Kyuhyun suddenly spoke up, chewing thoughtfully.</p><p>Ryeowook's lips finally curved into a smile. "Thinking about Eunhyuk-hyung?" he said lightly, teasingly.</p><p>Yesung snapped out of his thoughts and looked at them in surprise.</p><p>"Don't look so shocked," Kyuhyun said, laughing. "You always have that dumb expression on your face whenever you think of him."</p><p>"Like an idiot in love," Ryeowook snickered.</p><p>That last line unexpectedly stabbed Yesung's heart.</p><hr/><p>-;-</p><hr/><p><em><strong>A</strong></em>fter the talk he had with Kyuhyun and Ryeowook, Yesung felt that he had to dig deeper, to think more about it. Fortunately, the idea of Eunhyuk being a possible romantic partner didn't seem weird to him as much as before. He was starting to adjust to the transition. At least <em> that </em> was a start.</p><p>Now the problem was, during this self-contemplation period of his, how he should treat Eunhyuk from now on. Leading on the latter was <em> definitely </em> out of the question; that was plain disrespectful and would only hurt Eunhyuk's feelings more. He had to take a different approach, but <em> what</em>?</p><p>"Um, hyung."</p><p>Speak of the devil. Yesung whirled his head to face Eunhyuk, who was standing before him with a somewhat forced smile on his face. He was holding what seemed to be music sheets in his hand.</p><p>"Oh, Hyukjae-ya?" Yesung had, somehow, gotten used to using Eunhyuk's real name a lot more often and he didn't know what this implied.</p><p>"You… left these in the paper bag," Eunhyuk said hesitantly, as if afraid to talk. "I didn't open your gift yet, but I saw these peeking out, so… uh…"</p><p>Yesung bit his lip as the guilt pooled inside him. Their relationship was straining now, and it was all <em> his </em> fault for being so clueless. So much for being a good hyung.</p><p>"I didn't leave them there," Yesung answered simply, lifting his hand and placing it on Eunhyuk's shoulder reassuringly.</p><p>Eunhyuk stared at him quizzically. "Huh?"</p><p>"I said, I didn't leave them there," Yesung repeated patiently with a smile. "That's a part of my birthday gift to you."</p><p>This time, it seemed to be Eunhyuk who was having trouble processing what he was saying. "<em>Pardon? </em>"</p><p>"Didn't you read the notes on it?" Yesung chuckled. "I told you to write the rap parts to your liking. I composed the rest of the music and wrote the lyrics. The song is meant for you."</p><p>Eunhyuk's eyes widened.</p><p>Yesung grinned. "So, for our next album, let's have a duet together."</p><hr/><p>-;-</p><hr/><p><em><strong>H</strong></em>aving a duet meant that they needed to rehearse and get a feel of the song first. Yesung decided that the two of them would sing the guides, see how it would go, and then record the whole thing in the studio once everything was perfectly arranged to their taste.</p><p>But, having a duet also meant that they would be spending time together. Good thing that the preparations for their next album — the repackaged one — was going to start in a few months, so he still had time to mend things between him and Eunhyuk.</p><p><em> I'm not exactly leading him on, am I? </em> Yesung thought to himself as he absently sipped his iced Americano. <em> It was my plan even before I knew the truth. I've always wanted to sing together with him since I think our voices would blend well together, just like in Memories. </em></p><p>
  <em> And those lyrics I wrote… really suit Hyukjae. </em>
</p><p>He was sitting in a coffee shop, alone. He remembered the times when Eunhyuk would drag him to a shop like this one, wanting to spend time with him despite not liking cafés which he declared back when they were shooting for Super TV. As Yesung thought about it now, he had felt really touched when Eunhyuk showed and proved that he wanted to spend time with him despite the fact that he disliked staying still and enjoying the atmosphere in cafés. Eunhyuk was more of an energetic soul whose personality didn't root himself to one spot. He was the type who didn't really care what other people thought of him but became very sensitive whenever it came to people he cared about.</p><p>
  <em> He used to be a crybaby back then, but now he has really grown up into a fine man. </em>
</p><p>Yesung slowly frowned as he realized that he was thinking of Eunhyuk a lot these days. He felt guilty for what he did, of course, and he was lucky that Eunhyuk was a kind soul who didn't even get mad and argue with him. Eunhyuk rarely ever got mad, especially at his members. It was one of the aspects that Yesung admired the most about him.</p><p>He suddenly wondered whether or not that he was even worthy of Eunhyuk’s feelings. <em> Why </em> him? <em> Him</em>, of all people. A fortune teller even told them that they weren't compatible. How would they be able to <em> last</em>—</p><p>Wait. Why were his thoughts starting to lead to this?</p><p>He wasn’t actually <em> considering </em> a romantic relationship with Eunhyuk… right?</p><p>Suddenly, Yesung’s heart started to pound as the full extent of the realization slipped in.</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>tbc</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Part IV</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><b> <em>E</em></b>unhyuk sat at the dining table, staring at the blue paper bag placed at the center for the past few minutes. He didn't know why he felt afraid to open it; it wasn’t like Yesung placed a timebomb in there. However, there was still hesitance lingering inside him. Was this really a good idea? It didn’t seem like the right time to do this. He was still feeling guilty about Yesung, especially the way he approached things with him. He had been too excited, too happy by the fact that Yesung ‘confessed’ that he liked him too that he didn’t even bother asking more questions about it. He just accepted it all like an idiot.</p><p><em> But… that’s strange, </em> Eunhyuk thought to himself absently, reaching out and playing with the blue ribbon tied around the strings of the paper bag. <em> I’m sure that I told hyung back at that café that my feelings for him were the romantic kind… but he didn’t get it? Surely Yesung-hyung can’t be that oblivious… that’s ridiculous… </em></p><p>
  <em> Unless… he wasn’t paying attention… </em>
</p><p>The thought of it stabbed him a bit. He had been sincere in his feelings at that time, and he had been nervous as hell. He had wanted to confess for a while ever since he realized his feelings, but fear was the one that held him back. Fear of rejection, fear of the unknown. Yesung was a good person, a great hyung to have, but Eunhyuk felt afraid of whatever the older’s reaction could’ve been. Yesung could be unpredictable at times, and it was no secret that he was hot-tempered in the past and tended to act in a way that they wouldn’t be able to expect. He was also weird at times, but even if Eunhyuk wouldn’t admit it, he liked that side of Yesung. It made him have his own character, and it was that strange charm of his that drew some people to him.</p><p>He had always thought that Yesung would at least take his feelings seriously, as Eunhyuk didn’t do that much often, but it turned out that Yesung wasn’t even interested in hearing him out in the first place.</p><p>Eunhyuk bit his lip as the hurt feeling settled in. He stood up instantly, scraping his chair backwards from the sudden action, and left the dining room without looking back at the paper bag. The gift could wait for now. He just couldn’t do it again today.</p><hr/><p>-;-</p><hr/><p><b> <em>I</em></b>t was so cliché, but it was Eunhyuk's only plan in order to not let himself go crazy. And avoiding Yesung was the <em> only </em> solution at the moment, because if he acted like nothing ever happened between them, his mind would just go into overdrive. One could only go so far with pretending, and Eunhyuk wasn’t great at that sort of thing.</p><p>Well… that was <em> supposed </em> to be his plan when they performed for Super Show 8, but unfortunately, fate just had to ruin things for him.</p><p>He was surrounded by Yesung almost <em> everywhere</em>. It was like he had no escape at all. Even though he tried his best to be professional, he just couldn’t stop himself from doing things he usually did with his hyung; teasing, poking, even going up to him while singing and lacing their pinkies together. He even managed to get a <em> selca </em> of them together.</p><p>It wasn’t supposed to be this hard, but Yesung was 100% the reason why Eunhyuk couldn’t even attempt to avoid him. After he confessed for the second time and Yesung finally understood his feelings, it seemed like the man went back to how they had been back in their 8th album promotions. Eunhyuk wanted to wail at how casual and effortless Yesung acted around him. It was like nothing ever happened between them and everything was back to normal! How did he <em> do </em> it?</p><p><em> Is it because he doesn’t care at all? </em> Eunhyuk thought to himself. <em> They do say that the opposite of love is indifference… but… </em></p><p>For Eunhyuk, Yesung was the kind of person who didn’t think twice about saying what he was thinking as long as he felt strongly about it. However, Yesung also tended to be like Leeteuk at times; quiet, unassuming, and waits for the right time while thinking of the right words to say. It was both frustrating and scary for Eunhyuk since he didn’t know what his hyung was thinking. It would’ve been better if Yesung had the kind of personality Heechul had. At least Heechul was always vocal about his feelings and didn’t go around beating the bush. That was why he and Leeteuk were polar opposites.</p><p><em> I don’t know what to do or act in this kind of situation… but I really </em> am <em> going to ignore him this time! </em> Eunhyuk vowed to himself silently as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.</p><p>He had been doing his best to avoid looking at Yesung coddling Donghae for the past few minutes. He tried looking at everything else except where the two of them were; he glanced at Leeteuk who was busy fiddling with his microphone, and he chanced a glimpse at Kyuhyun, who was smiling softly as he gazed at the crowd while saying something. The fact that they still had fans even at their age was never going to be not touching for them. Eunhyuk was always grateful and always sorry.</p><p>
  <em> Time to forget about Yesung-hyung once and for all… and focus on ELFs. </em>
</p><p>When he realized that the back of his shoe was starting to flatten downwards, he lifted his left leg and hiked it up casually. He heard a slight commotion coming from his right, but he figured that it was probably Yesung and Donghae again, so he ignored it, but when he straightened up after fixing his shoe, a figure suddenly came barreling towards him.</p><p>Reflexively, Eunhyuk extended his arm around the person's slim waist and helped him balance himself. However, he didn't expect<em> three </em> things: that the guy would support himself by throwing his arms around Eunhyuk's neck, that the guy suddenly stopped in his tracks and stared at him in shock, and that the guy in question was the <em> same </em> guy who he wanted to avoid <em> so </em> badly.</p><p>Both of them didn’t say anything, only stared at each other with varying degrees of surprise on their faces. Yesung looked openly shocked, his lips parted slightly as he gazed right at Eunhyuk’s own. The latter, on the other hand, kept his expression as calm as possible, his eyes the only thing that gave away his surprise. He then averted his gaze to the side, the awkwardness rising inside him as he couldn’t bear staring at Yesung’s eyes for long.</p><p>And then, quickly enough — too fast for Eunhyuk’s liking, something that he couldn’t bring himself to admit — Yesung let go of him and started to walk away.</p><p>Something in Eunhyuk’s mind nagged at him, and without thinking, he reached out and poked Yesung at the side of his waist. The older yelped in surprise, his squeak sounding like music to Eunhyuk’s ears, and finally they smiled at each other as Yesung managed a chuckle before going away. Eunhyuk turned back to the crowd, already missing the feel of his hyung’s arms around his neck.</p><p>Blushing, he quickly absolved that thought before it could go any further. Their close position earlier reminded him of the time he blatantly kissed Yesung and he would rather <em> not </em> reminisce that embarrassing moment again.</p><p>As the concert went on, he went back to his normal self, having fun on stage and interacting with the fans. He even did his best not to mind when Yesung hugged him from behind, when Yesung crept up to him while taking a selca. He didn’t mind them all.</p><p>It wasn’t until he got home later that night and scrolled through photos taken by fans that he saw all of their moments together, especially the one where he was oblivious as he talked to fans, Yesung gazing at him intensely from behind.</p><p>Maybe he <em> did </em> mind, after all.</p><p><em> Damn </em> that hyung.</p><hr/><p>-;-</p><hr/><p><b> <em>“W</em></b>hat’s happening <em> now </em>?” Ryeowook sighed as he leaned the side of his head against his fist, arm propped up against the table.</p><p>“What do you mean?” Eunhyuk said innocently as he kept on browsing through his SNS.</p><p>Ryeowook frowned, always the intuitive one. “Did something happen again between you and Yesung-hyung?”</p><p>“What makes you say that?”</p><p>“Don’t try to steer around the subject, Hyukkie-hyung,” Ryeowook pointed out. “Something’s different again.”</p><p>Heechul, who was playing games on his phone nearby, whipped his head towards the two of them, looking surprised and intrigued at their conversation. “Did you and Jongwoon have a fight again? Oh man.” He threw his head back and laughed. “Ah, young love~ always fighting~”</p><p>Without meaning to, Eunhyuk blushed a deep red, and when he tried to will it away, he could practically feel his ears burning instead. “I—It’s not like that! C’mon…” he complained. He really didn’t want to have this kind of conversation with his nosy members.</p><p>“Then what is it?” Ryeowook pressed. He had always been the stubborn one, too. “Last time it was Yesung-hyung who seemed distant, but now it’s <em> you</em>. Gosh, now I feel bad for hyung.”</p><p>Eunhyuk pressed his lips together in a thin line, trying not to show too much of his emotions. “We’re both acting normally!” he defended.</p><p>“Hate to say this, but I gotta agree with Ryeong~” Heechul interjected with a grin. “I’m not here that often but I can see that you’re trying your best to avoid Yesung. Why’s that, Hyukkie?” Heechul’s expression then turned into a mischievous one. “Are you sulking at him? Aww, so <em> cute</em>!”</p><p>Eunhyuk blushed again, but this time it was out of indignation. “I am <em> not </em> sulking!” he complained, wanting to pout but he knew that that would only fuel Heechul’s teasing further. “I’m just… kinda mad at him for something… it’s — it’s not a big deal, alright?!”</p><p>Heechul raised his arms as a form of surrender. “Whoa, whoa, okay!” He let out a hearty laugh, clearly enjoying Eunhyuk’s misery and embarrassment. “I get it, I get it. It’s just another one of those love spats. Don’t worry, you’ll make up soon. Or rather…” Heechul sent him a knowing smile. “...Yesung will be the first one to apologize, anyway.”</p><p>“What?” Eunhyuk blinked in confusion. “But hyung hasn’t done anything wrong…” he said meekly.</p><p>“You’ll know soon.” Heechul snickered. “I think it’ll be quite an <em> exciting </em> apology… ahh~ Hyukkie, why are you suddenly blushing? Omo, what are you <em> thinking </em> about?! <em> HAHAHA</em>!”</p><p>“AISH, <em> HYUNG!!!</em>”</p><hr/><p>-;-</p><hr/><p>
  <em> ♪·♫ Oh, I found you~ </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Flightless bird ♪·♫ </em>
</p><p><b> <em>E</em></b>unhyuk had never considered it before, but because he began going to cafés with Yesung, he started to appreciate the place more. It was quiet most of the time, and there was always something to look at — like the beautiful paintings, the homey interior, the people chattering with each other. The smell of food and coffee was heavenly and inviting, and it was the perfect place to be in when you wanted to be alone with your thoughts.</p><p>Once more, the memory of him impulsively kissing Yesung came to mind. Now that the hurt, the confusion, and the anger were gone, he deeply regretted his past action. It was <em> so </em> embarrassing, and <em> so </em> out of the blue, he was surprised that Yesung didn't even smack him for it.</p><p>Burying his face with his hands, Eunhyuk groaned. He went here to clear his mind of thoughts about his hyung, but it turned out that that in itself was unavoidable. He was in a café, drinking coffee, eating pastries, and he was even about to be tempted to take a selca — god, he was beginning to turn into Yesung! What a <em> nightmare</em>!</p><p>Eunhyuk groaned for what seemed to be the thousandth time when a shadow suddenly fell upon him. He noticed it instantly because the light source was facing towards him, and it was nearing sunset already, so it was obvious if someone passed by or even stood centimeters away from him.</p><p>When Eunhyuk raised his head, his surprised gaze met with Yesung's dark, unreadable ones.</p><p>Suddenly, his breath caught in his throat. "<em>Hyung?</em>" he exclaimed, unconsciously pressing a hand to his chest in shock. "Ah, you <em> surprised </em> me so suddenly! What are you doing here?"</p><p>The impassive expression on Yesung's face faded as he smiled at him, his features slowly becoming brighter. "<em>I </em> should be the one asking you that," he said casually, sitting on the empty seat in front of him. "What brings you to a café of all places, Hyukjae-ya?"</p><p>Eunhyuk's cheeks started to burn with embarrassment, but he tried not to let it show. "Eyy, what are you saying?" he said, laughing. "Can't I come here? Are <em> you </em> the only one who's allowed?"</p><p>Yesung frowned, but Eunhyuk could tell that his hyung was just playing along with him. "I just asked a simple question, and here you are attacking me again..."</p><p>"That's because hyung is starting to talk nonsense again," Eunhyuk pressed more, always loving it whenever he teased Yesung.</p><p>"Yah, does your heart feel good when you say things like that? Do you even think back about it when you get home?" Yesung retorted, swiftly stealing Eunhyuk's iced cappuccino and drinking from the straw like there was nothing wrong about it.</p><p>Eunhyuk sputtered. "Aish, <em> hyung </em>!" he complained. "Get your own!" He tried to take back his iced coffee, but his hand stopped mid-action hesitantly when his gaze locked with Yesung's.</p><p>“...” Eunhyuk’s mouth opened to speak, but the words wouldn’t come out. He suddenly felt trapped against that gaze, one so intense that his throat was starting to feel dry. He swallowed, trying to soothe the feeling when Yesung suddenly spoke, breaking the tense silence between them.</p><p>“You can have it back,” Yesung said smoothly, holding out the glass towards Eunhyuk’s mouth and gesturing for him to drink.</p><p>Wait, <em> what</em>?</p><p>Eunhyuk forced a calm expression on his face as he took a tissue paper and attempted to wipe off the saliva from the straw.</p><p>But instead of getting annoyed at his blatant act of disgust, Yesung just smirked as if he was about to let out a chuckle. Then, to Eunhyuk's surprise, Yesung reached out to him with his free hand and cupped his cheek gently.</p><p>Eunhyuk was so startled that he dropped the tissue he was holding. "H—Hyung…?" he stammered, his heart beginning to pound so loudly that he was almost afraid Yesung would hear it.</p><p>But Yesung said nothing and only guided Eunhyuk towards the drink, and the latter obeyed, sipping from the straw and tasting the suddenly sweet coffee that filled his mouth.</p><p><em> That's funny… </em> he thought to himself as he went into a trance, staring at Yesung's deep gaze. <em> I didn't even add sugar to my coffee… </em></p><p>
  <em> Yet it tastes… so sweet… </em>
</p><p>Eunhyuk wanted to hide himself in a hole at how cringey his thoughts were becoming. He really <em> was </em> becoming an idiot in love no matter <em> how </em> much he tried to deny it.</p><p>And Yesung wasn't helping, either. If the man didn't like him back, he should stop doing this kind of thing. It was bad for the heart!</p><p>Eunhyuk could still feel the warmth of Yesung's palm against his cheek and willed his blush to go away. If he made his feelings obvious again, there was a possibility that Yesung would become uncomfortable with him and Eunhyuk didn't want that to happen. He'd rather have Yesung back as an older brother than risk losing whatever they had.</p><p>"...Hyuk-ah."</p><p>Yesung's low voice snapped Eunhyuk out of his thoughts. The latter reflexively pulled away from the older’s grasp, causing Yesung's hand to disappear from his cheek. He already missed the warm feeling it gave.</p><p>Ah… it was becoming dangerous already. He wanted more. He <em> craved </em> more. He'd be happy even with just holding Yesung's hand again.</p><p>But the little things were enough.</p><p>Because if he started expecting more, he'd only end up in pain. Not only him, but Yesung, too. It was selfish.</p><p>"S—Sorry, hyung," Eunhyuk suddenly said, instantly standing up from his seat. "I… think I need to go to the restroom for a bit."</p><p>Eunhyuk turned his back and started to walk away.</p><p>"Hyukjae."</p><p>Yesung's voice almost made him pause in his tracks, but Eunhyuk forced himself to keep on walking as if he didn't hear the other man.</p><p>He was about to disappear into the corner when he heard Yesung speak once more.</p><p>"Lee Hyukjae… if you don't turn around…"</p><p>There was a threatening undertone to Yesung's voice this time, but there was also an eerie calmness to it that sent chills down Eunhyuk's spine. He swallowed the lump in his throat and debated whether or not to turn around and face his hyung.</p><p>However, his hesitance won out and he hurried towards the direction of the restroom. He couldn't seem to think straight anymore. He needed space to think properly and to try to resolve this.</p><p>He didn't know why Yesung was suddenly being like this, but it was starting to scare him.</p><hr/><p>-;-</p><hr/><p><em><strong> O</strong>kay, Hyukjae… Take deep breaths… </em> Eunhyuk chanted to himself over and over as he breathed in gulps of air inside the bathroom stall. <em> If hyung is mad about something, I should talk it out with him… Hyung has never hurt me and he'd never do that anyway, so what am I so scared of…? </em></p><p>"OK… I can <em> do </em> this!" Eunhyuk assured himself, exhaling a puff of air to increase whatever confidence he had left. "Who am I? I'm the world-class anchovy! I'm a handsome jewel! My fans love me! <em> Yeah</em>!" he rambled on, telling himself more nonsense as he opened the door and began to walk out of the stall.</p><p>"GYAAAH!!" Eunhyuk suddenly screamed in shock.</p><p>There, standing in front of him, was Yesung in all his glory, still harboring that intense gaze in his eyes.</p><p>"How long have you been<em> standing </em> there, hyung?!" Eunhyuk wailed. "I almost had a heart attack because of you, <em> aish… </em> So suddenly…!"</p><p>When Eunhyuk tried to calm himself down, Yesung still didn’t say anything, only looking downwards at him with his unwavering stare. Since Yesung was taller than him, Eunhyuk suddenly felt so small in comparison despite their height difference not having that big of a gap. Maybe it was the way Yesung held himself, the way his posture was effortlessly straight and the way his aura seemed to exude dominance. It didn't help that the top buttons of his collar were unbuttoned, too, exposing a bit of his neck down to the topmost part of his chest. It was distracting.</p><p>Eunhyuk swallowed. The air was suddenly so heavy, so thick with tension. It was as if something was about to happen, but he didn't know what.</p><p>They had never been in this kind of position before. Everything had always been light with them, even with their constant arm-wrestling competitions in the past as well as Eunhyuk's relentless teasing and Yesung’s occasional displays of affection. Sure, they had some intimate acts of skinship before, but all of that was either for the sake of fanservice or for the fun of it. Or either Yesung or Eunhyuk was probably feeling like cuddling someone in those times. It wasn't that serious.</p><p>But this time, it felt different. So, <em> so </em> different. It was all so <em> new </em> and so <em> foreign </em> that Eunhyuk honestly had <em> no </em> idea what to do.</p><p>"Hyung…" he whispered. "S—Say something, will you…?"</p><p>As soon as the words left his mouth, Eunhyuk let out a squeak as he was suddenly backed against the wall, Yesung's right hand slamming on the brick above his head. Yesung stared down at him, still not saying anything, but he leaned in closer. So close that his hot breath was fanning against Eunhyuk's cheek.</p><p>"<em>Hyung?!</em>" Eunhyuk exclaimed, suddenly feeling like he was a rabbit being caged by a domineering lion.</p><p>There was silence between them for a moment, and Eunhyuk could only hear the rapid pounding of his heart.</p><p>"Hyukjae-ya…" Yesung's voice was deep and quiet yet soft at the same time.</p><p>Eunhyuk swallowed. He couldn't even count the times his throat went dry just because of this enigmatic man. "Y—Yes…?"</p><p>"You've been avoiding me," Yesung said bluntly, not moving away even an inch. "Why?"</p><p>"U—Uh?" Eunhyuk responded dumbly. "What do you mean '<em>why</em>'? Of course it's because I'm being considerate towards you!"</p><p>Yesung pursed his lips. "Considerate…? In what way?"</p><p>It was starting to get oddly uncomfortable. It was as if there was something electric in the air, gluing him in place and rendering his tongue frozen. Eunhyuk could practically feel the warmth growing in the small space between them, their close proximity causing their body heat to envelop them both.</p><p>Eunhyuk restrained the urge to wipe off the sweat from his brow and replied, "Be—Because hyung doesn't feel the same way."</p><p>He hated how his voice suddenly became small. It was a sign of weakness and vulnerability, one that he didn't want to show in front of Yesung. "And I don't want to hurt myself by chasing after an unrequited love. B—<em>But</em>!" He started blabbering. "I don't mean to avoid you forever, hyung! It’s just for a while, just a bit of time for me to get over you and move on. I… don't want to ruin our friendship. I don't want us to be awkward, so I…" Eunhyuk gulped as Yesung's stare seemed to be even more piercing than before. "I… I'm sorry."</p><p>"...Why do you sound so scared?" Yesung's sudden light chuckle cleared a bit of the tension between them. "I'm not going to hurt you, Hyuk-ah."</p><p>Eunhyuk started to pout, but his heart was still beating fast. "I—I know that!" he retorted, his voice beginning to sound back to normal. "I just… well, you're acting weird, hyung. And why are you doing this kind of cheesy thing to me anyways? Do I look like a girl to you?" Eunhyuk joked to lighten up the mood, but the laugh that came out of his lips sounded awkward and nervous. He cursed himself internally.</p><p>Yesung was quiet for a moment. "No, you're not," he replied simply, reaching out with his free hand to take hold of Eunhyuk's chin. "But, Hyukjae-ya… whatever made you think that I don't feel the same way?"</p><p>Eunhyuk's jaw dropped open. "Huh?"</p><p>
  <em> So suddenly?? What?? </em>
</p><p>"I said," Yesung repeated patiently, leaning towards him even closer than before until their noses started to touch, "whatever made you think that I don't feel the same way?"</p><p>“Huh??” Eunhyuk said, still dumbfounded. Everything was suddenly very difficult to process due to the absurdity of it all. Of course Yesung didn’t like him back, he <em> said </em> so himself—</p><p><em> Wait. </em> Wait a second.</p><p>When <em> did </em> Yesung ever say he didn’t like him...?</p><hr/><p>✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈«</p><p>•┈••✦ FLASHBACK ✦••┈•</p><p>✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈«</p><hr/><p>
  <b> <em>“I</em></b>
  <em>’m going to do it today!” Eunhyuk told himself in determination as he lunged for the paper bag that had been on his dining table for days already. “No more chickening out!!” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> When he grabbed a hold of the item, he hurriedly untied the blue ribbon and opened the bag. When he fumbled inside, he felt something similar to a notebook in his hand and grabbed it. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> What met his eyes was a clean-looking hardbound book that seemed heavy enough to be a scrapbook. No wonder the paper bag seemed to bear weight. Eunhyuk had reckoned that it could be because of the packaging, but he was wrong. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Fingers trembling in anticipation, he opened it and his breath caught in his throat. </em>
</p><p><em> It was well-known among their members as well as their fans that Yesung was fond of taking pictures, especially selcas. Donghae and Ryeowook had once stolen Yesung’s phone in the waiting room and was blown away by the amount of pictures in his gallery app. At the time, Eunhyuk thought that taking </em> that <em> many pictures seemed too much like a hassle and a waste of good storage space. Granted, Eunhyuk liked taking selcas too, but not that often compared to his hyung. And most of the time Yesung just took pictures of himself and of the sceneries around him. Everything just seemed to be all the same. </em></p><p>
  <em> But now, he started to understand why. </em>
</p><p><em> The scrapbook Yesung made for him was full of memories. Full of photos, full of smiles, of laughter, of teasings. There were shots of Super Junior, of their families together, of their friends. Eunhyuk was on every single one of them, and there were </em> so <em> many. Yesung even took the effort to label them all with their respective dates. </em></p><p>
  <em> And then, when there were only a few pages left, suddenly it was full of pictures of him and Yesung. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> And at the end of the book was a simple note. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> ∘₊✧──────✧₊∘ </em>
</p><p>
  <em> To Hyukjae, </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Happy birthday! </em>
</p><p>
  <em> From your Yesung-hyung </em>
</p><p>
  <em> ∘₊✧──────✧₊∘ </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Eunhyuk’s mind paused for a moment. Usually, whenever Yesung wrote them short letters like this on any member’s birthday, he’d always refer to them as either his beloved hyung or his precious dongsaeng. But in his case, Yesung used his real name without any cutesy label or any cringey alteration. Heck, he didn’t even call him Monkey or Jerry! That in itself was surprising. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Your Yesung-hyung…?” Eunhyuk read out loud, already feeling his ears burning. “What the heck is this hyung on about?? Ahhh, so cheesy!!” He slammed the note on the table and drew his hand back as if it electrocuted him. “What’s with him, sheesh… giving me a scrapbook of all things…" He managed a nervous laugh as he tried to quell all his emotions. "Yesung-hyung should know that I don't like corny things like this… aahhh, so awkward… It would've been better if he gave me dozens of cup noodle packs though…" </em>
</p><p>
  <em> For the rest of the day, Eunhyuk tried to clear his mind of Yesung, but it was no use. He kept on thinking about him, about the thoughtful gift, the song he composed, the affectionate gestures he kept giving him. It was starting to drive him crazy. </em>
</p><p>He gave the gift to me before I confessed to him… <em> Eunhyuk thought to himself as he sat down and pressed his fingers to his temple, the open scrapbook lying on his lap. </em> I don't know what this means.</p><p>But that song he wrote for me…</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “We’ve been through hard times together </em>
</p><p>
  <em> In my moments of need, you were there </em>
</p><p>
  <em> We’ve always been like a family </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Even if we don’t share the same blood, </em>
</p><p>
  <em> We are connected like siblings.” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Eunhyuk could still remember the time when he read those lyrics. The mixed feelings he felt were eating at him; he was touched that Yesung thought of him like a real family, but he was also disappointed that that was all he ever amounted to. There were no romantic connotations or any hints that Yesung felt the same way for him. </em>
</p><p>But making this kind of gift for me…<em> Eunhyuk thought to himself as he closed the scrapbook. </em>He's never done this kind of thing to the other members. Not even to his own real brother.</p><p>What am I to him, really?</p><p>Am I a friend? A brother?</p><p>A possible lover...?</p><hr/><p>✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈«</p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <em> He never did say… that he didn't like me. </em>
</p><p> </p><p><b> <em>E</em></b>unhyuk’s lips trembled slightly as they parted for him to speak. “Hyung…” he said breathily, “...stop…"</p><p>Yesung tilted his head, a ghost of a smile curving his lips. "Why?" he asked simply.</p><p>Eunhyuk gulped, his whole body tensing. "It… It feels like you're going to kiss me."</p><p>"That's because I am," Yesung responded casually as if he were talking about the weather.</p><p>All the blood rushed to Eunhyuk’s face. “E—<em>Excuse me</em>?!” he exclaimed in shock, reflexively moving closer towards Yesung and causing their noses to bump into each other once more.</p><p>Eunhyuk suddenly remembered the time he kissed Yesung.</p><p>And suddenly, it didn’t feel so embarrassing anymore.</p><p>In fact…</p><p>...the thought almost seemed quite <em> tempting</em>…?</p><p>“I’m going to kiss you,” Yesung repeated before he swooped down and claimed Eunhyuk’s lips.</p><p>Something burst inside Eunhyuk’s chest the moment they connected, like a rush of hot air tingling from his lungs and proceeding to spread all over his body. His heart was hammering inside his ribcage and he clenched his fists against Yesung’s clothing, his eyes automatically closing on reflex.</p><p>There was a tenderness to the way Yesung nipped at his upper lip, licking the smoothness there and proceeding to envelop it with his mouth. Eunhyuk gasped quietly in response, causing Yesung to slide his tongue inside.</p><p>Eunhyuk rattled back in shock, not expecting the intensity, but he was already flattened against the wall, so he clutched Yesung to him tighter, letting the older do whatever he wanted with him. Soon, Yesung pulled him closer, his fingers tangling themselves in Eunhyuk's hair as he tilted his head to deepen the kiss. Eunhyuk's hands loosened from Yesung's clothes and he wrapped his arms around the older's neck, responding back with the same intensity as all his hesitance flew out the window.</p><p>When they pulled away to catch their breaths, they stared at each other, panting. Eunhyuk buried his face in Yesung's neck, feeling his face burn from all the excitement and embarrassment. He could still feel the residues of warmth in his mouth from their tongues dancing together, causing him to tighten his embrace as he willed himself to forget.</p><p>Yesung let out a low chuckle. "Was that a good enough answer for you, Hyukkie?"</p><p>"<em>Hyung!!</em>" Eunhyuk said, scandalized, as he slowly regained his sanity. "Why did — why did you have to <em> do </em> that!!"</p><p>Yesung pouted, holding Eunhyuk to him closer, eliciting a squeak from the younger. "Why not? I kept on wanting to do it for weeks." He then lowered his voice as he whispered into Eunhyuk's ear. "Especially after you kissed me like that. We didn't get a chance to take it to the next level, did we—"</p><p>"Nonononono! Stop, <em> stop</em>!!" Eunhyuk was tomato-red now as he pushed Yesung away. "Don't talk about that <em> ever </em> again! It's so <em> embarrassing</em>!"</p><p>Yesung's loud laugh reverberated in the surroundings. "Ahh, so cute~" he crooned, reaching out and pinching Eunhyuk's cheek. "This is one of the reasons why you're my favorite."</p><p>Eunhyuk swatted away his hyung's hand. "Don't treat me like a kid…"</p><p>Yesung laughed again, and it was like music to Eunhyuk's ears. Oh, how he loved hearing his hyung's laugh. "Okay, okay, I get it. Let's go, then." He gently took hold of Eunhyuk's arm and led him out of the stall. "Good thing nobody went inside, right?"</p><p>Eunhyuk reddened further, completely forgetting about the fact that they had been kissing in a public place. "Aish, hyung!!" he wailed, burying his face in his free hand. He swore that he would never submit so easily to his hyung ever again. He still had his pride!</p><p>Yesung took that opportunity to place an arm around Eunhyuk's shoulders, pulling the younger to him almost protectively.</p><p>Eunhyuk cursed to himself weakly as he let himself be led away.</p><p>
  <em> I guess my pride disappeared, after all... </em>
</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>tbc</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Part V</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><b> <em>I</em></b>t had been a day after the incident. Eunhyuk should have been doing better now that he knew what his hyung felt about him, but some things just didn't go as expected…</p><p>"You're still avoiding me," a low voice whispered into his ear.</p><p>Eunhyuk squeaked in surprise, finding himself trapped against the wall when he tried to take a step backwards. Wait, déjà vu?!</p><p>"A—Ah, Yesung-hyung!" Eunhyuk exclaimed, forcing himself to sound cheerful. "What b—brings you here?!"</p><p>Yesung raised an eyebrow, placing a hand inside his pocket as he eyed Eunhyuk levelly. "I'm here because we have to practice…?"</p><p>"A—Ah, right…"</p><p>"Hyuk-ah," Yesung said bluntly, reaching out and playing with a few strands of Eunhyuk's hair. "I think you're perfectly aware of how much of a bad liar you seem right now…"</p><p>Eunhyuk gulped. Yesung's sudden forwardness was making him feel nervous. Not that his hyung wasn't aggressive like this before, because Yesung always had this tough exterior about him that carried over back when he was young till now, but just that… it seemed that their roles had been flipped. Weeks ago, <em> Eunhyuk </em> was the one who mostly initiated everything, from café visits to making lunch boxes and eating out, while Yesung was the one who merely agreed to everything and willingly spent time with him even without knowing what Eunhyuk really felt for him.</p><p>Basically, back then, Yesung seemed to be the one who followed along, and Eunhyuk was the one who led their 'relationship'.</p><p>But now…</p><p>"Well?" Yesung said almost impatiently, tilting his head as he waited for Eunhyuk's explanation. In doing so, his hair which had been combed back fell across his face, somewhat covering his eyes. The long strands caused his gaze to seem darker, more intense.</p><p>Eunhyuk relaxed his features into that of a calm expression. "I'm not, hyung, it's just that…" He couldn't bring himself to tell the truth. It made him seem too… <em> girly</em>. Too <em> conscious</em>. It wasn't supposed to be in his nature, but…</p><p>"It's just that <em> what</em>?" Yesung repeated, obviously wanting to get to the bottom of the problem quickly.</p><p>When he received no answer, Yesung growled, now in a bad mood. He had skipped breakfast and lunch earlier, not even eating a single biscuit to feed his stomach at the very least, so his mood swings were at an all-time high. He was cranky, to be exact, and Eunhyuk's stubbornness wasn't helping matters at all.</p><p>"Hyukjae…" he said warningly.</p><p>Eunhyuk took a deep breath, then swooped down to the ground, intent on getting away from his hyung at the moment.</p><p>However, Yesung wasn't going to let him escape just like that. The moment Eunhyuk ducked, Yesung's fast reflexes caused him to immediately grab the younger by the arms, making the latter stop moving using his strength. The sudden movements both of them made caused them to fall to the floor, but in a sitting position, with Eunhyuk's back against the wall and Yesung's hands lifting to grasp the younger's shoulders for better balance.</p><p>"H—Hyung," Eunhyuk said nervously, his eyes darting around the room. Fortunately, they were the only ones inside, but this kind of position was too embarrassing and could create a huge misunderstanding. "Let go… I—I promise I'll tell you what's wrong."</p><p>Yesung stared right into Eunhyuk's eyes, lips pressed into a thin line. He was silent for a moment, but he loosened his grip slightly, an indication that he was listening.</p><p>"I'm just really unsure of where we stand now," Eunhyuk blurted out, his gaze averted to the floor. "A—After we left that café… you just walked me back to my apartment and then we parted ways… I—I still don't know how to act around you. I'm sorry, but…" He was trying to choose his words cautiously, and Yesung knew that.</p><p>"..." Yesung sighed, ruffling Eunhyuk's hair in response. The latter made a sound of protest, internally mourning his gel-styled hair that took his stylist about an hour to fix.</p><p>"...OK, I understand," Yesung said quietly, scooting closer to Eunhyuk and slowly letting their foreheads touch each other. "So you mean to say that I should confess to you properly and ask you out properly as well?"</p><p>Eunhyuk was dumbfounded. "Er… y—yes…?"</p><p>There was a beat of silence, then Yesung let out a chuckle, burying his face in Eunhyuk's neck as he continued laughing to himself. Eunhyuk, totally confused, could only sit still, frozen and stiff, in his position.</p><p>Somehow, ever since he realized his feelings for Yesung, he was always, <em> always </em> caught up in <em> so </em> many embarrassing moments that he couldn't even begin to count them all. He was supposed to be a cool, manly man who didn't care about trivial things, but with Yesung he felt like a schoolgirl with a badly-concealed crush. It was humiliating, especially to his ego.</p><p>But… if he were being completely honest with himself…</p><p>Because it was Yesung, <em> his </em> Yesung-hyung… Eunhyuk felt that all that embarrassment was worth it, after all.</p><p>"Ahh~ this guy," Yesung said affectionately, lifting his head and proceeding to peck Eunhyuk on the lips. "So cute~"</p><p>Eunhyuk turned beet-red and he reflexively pushed his hyung away. "What the — aish, <em> Yesung-hyung</em>! What if someone saw—"</p><p>"...Too late," an amused voice cut in.</p><p>Yesung and Eunhyuk whipped their heads towards the source of the voice and found Leeteuk standing in the open doorway, his face all-smiles as he gazed at his dongsaengs who were currently sitting on the floor and very close to each other.</p><p>"Ah, sorry to interrupt you lovebirds~ but our stage rehearsal is in a few minutes…" Leeteuk said in a teasing voice as he folded his arms across his chest.</p><p>Eunhyuk, still red, instantly stood up from the floor and ran from the room. Yesung didn't even bother standing up that quickly, taking his time as he tried to keep the smile off his face. Leeteuk noticed this and let out a hearty laugh.</p><p>"You look like you're enjoying this, Yesung-ah," Leeteuk remarked, unfolding his arms and crossing the room to where Yesung was standing. "Don't tease Eunhyukkie so much though, he might combust with all that blushing he's been doing lately."</p><p>“That’s exactly what makes him cute,” Yesung replied with a smile, unbuttoning the ends of his long-sleeved shirt and then hiking it up to his elbows.</p><p>Leeteuk watched him for a moment. “By the way,” he began casually, “the members are planning on a karaoke night later. Are you two going to come?”</p><p>“...” Yesung looked thoughtful for a moment. “Karaoke…” He nodded. “Yeah. We’re going.”</p><p>“Alright. We’ll go after rehearsals and the actual performance, then.”</p><hr/><p>-;-</p><hr/><p><b> <em>I</em></b>f it were back in the past, Eunhyuk wouldn't have touched a single drop of alcohol. He would’ve just stayed back, sat still, and distracted himself with something other than drinking.</p><p>However, on this night, he had so many things on his mind that were driving him crazy.</p><p>First, it was the way Ryeowook sang so loudly in the room that made his eardrums rattle.</p><p>Second, it was the way Donghae kept on kicking and punching him whenever he laughed. If he was so happy, then <em> fine</em>, but did he <em> have </em> to hit other people while he was at it? Eunhyuk couldn’t understand.</p><p>Third, it was the way Yesung was laying his head on his shoulder, seemingly tired yet playing with the hem of Eunhyuk’s shirt. It was… distracting, to say the least.</p><p>Fourth, it was the way Heechul was blatantly taking pictures of the two of them and murmuring — quite <em> clearly </em> and <em> loudly </em> — his plans of uploading it on the internet so that their dating news would blow up.</p><p>And fifth, it was the way Kyuhyun was single-handedly beating him at a mobile game that the two of them were currently playing and it was only increasing Eunhyuk’s frustration every time his character died and he had to start all over again.</p><p>So Eunhyuk quit the game, told Kyuhyun to play with Heechul instead, and drank a glass of soju.</p><p>Then another. <em> And </em> another.</p><p>The feeling of the liquid running down his throat was a welcome feeling amidst all the chaos that was going on.</p><p>"Hyuk?" Yesung said quietly, tentatively pushing away the empty glass that Eunhyuk had just consumed. "Are you alright?"</p><p>"Uh? Oh, I'm fine," Eunhyuk assured. He wasn't a lightweight with alcohol, but he wasn't a heavy drinker, either.</p><p>Yesung kept quiet, but snaked his arm around Eunhyuk's waist, keeping the younger to his side. "Looks like Ryeowook's song is ending. Do you want to be the next one?"</p><p>Eunhyuk was about to say no when Siwon suddenly volunteered and excitedly punched in a song.</p><p>"Well, never mind," Yesung remarked.</p><p>Eunhyuk turned his head towards his hyung, his gaze resting on the older's features. Although he often teased Yesung about his looks, especially in shows, that Yesung's appearance was worse than his, it wasn't exactly true. Of course, they only exaggerated things in variety shows just for laughs; it was all in good fun, and all members knew that pretty well, which was why all of them often went for each other and would never take the savage comments seriously.</p><p>However, seeing Yesung up close… the man was <em> ethereal</em>. Maybe it was the alcohol talking, but Yesung's eyes suddenly seemed sharper than before and his skin looked so flawless, so creamy. Yesung also had a good nose and smooth, distinct features.</p><p>His hyung had always been handsome to him, after all.</p><p>"Ah, this isn't good," Yesung was murmuring to himself as he played with Eunhyuk's hand, not noticing the younger's keen gaze on his face. "I was supposed to confess properly tonight, but I guess since you drank a bit… I can't really—"</p><p>"Hyung," Eunhyuk suddenly said, using the hand Yesung was playing with to capture the latter's own and lace their fingers together. Eunhyuk could feel Yesung stiffen against him in surprise and couldn't help but relish the pride and amusement rising inside him with his hyung's reaction.</p><p>"Hyung..." Eunhyuk repeated. "Do you... like me?"</p><p>"Yes," answered Yesung without missing a beat.</p><p>Eunhyuk was startled at the immediate response but tried not to show it although his heart began beating fast. "Do you want to — um…"</p><p>"Yes?"</p><p>"Uh…" Eunhyuk's mind suddenly went blank and he forgot what he was supposed to say. Well, it was already hard in the first place with Yesung staring at him like he was the only one he could see.</p><p>Nobody spoke between them for a while. The other members' chatter, on the other hand, never ceased, so at least there wasn't any awkward silence in the air.</p><p>However, Yesung suddenly stood up from his seat, startling Eunhyuk from his trance.</p><p>Yesung lifted his arm and ran a hand through his hair, messing his dark tresses and letting a few locks fall across his eyes.</p><p>Eunhyuk looked away, burying his face in his hands. Why did his hyung have to be so <em> attractive…</em>! It was <em> so </em>unfair!</p><p>"Eunhyuk-ah," Yesung spoke, his tone gentle. "I don't think I've ever showed you properly how much you mean to me."</p><p>"...Huh?"</p><p>Unhesitatingly, Yesung grabbed a glass filled with soju and downed it through his mouth. After that, he set down the glass back on the table, hiking up his sleeves.</p><p>"You were always the one who was pulling me with you, the one who made efforts to take care of me, the one who paid more attention to me than anyone else," Yesung said softly, looking at Eunhyuk in the eyes. "I'm sorry I took so long, Hyuk-ah."</p><p>Eunhyuk gaped at him, not expecting the speech.</p><p>It wasn't even silent in the room, but it seemed like it was. Ryeowook was persuading Kyuhyun and Siwon to go out of the room to buy more snacks and drinks while Heechul, Leeteuk, Shindong, and Donghae were playing Go Fish on the floor, the karaoke machine completely forgotten as they got immersed in their game. Their loud chatter was still engulfing the room, but to Eunhyuk, it was like background noise instead. All he could hear was Yesung's sweet voice talking to him, soothing his soul.</p><p>"So now, I'll show you that you're the only one for me, too." Yesung smiled at that moment, and Eunhyuk felt like his heart stopped beating.</p><p>"You… You'll <em> what…</em>?" Eunhyuk said slowly, dumbfounded as he stared at Yesung in disbelief. "Wait… hyung, are you <em> drunk</em>? Wait…" His eyes widened as Yesung started to stride towards the front purposefully. "W— <em> Wait</em>!! Yesung-hyung, I didn't mean—!"</p><p>But Yesung was already entering a song in the machine, consequently taking the microphone from the table.</p><p>And when the music began, Eunhyuk instantly knew what it was.</p><p>He didn't know whether to laugh or not. <em> Seriously? This song?? </em></p><p>Yesung's eyes were on him as he sang.</p><p>
  <em> “It can’t be if it’s not you… I can’t be without you.” </em>
</p><p>Donghae, who was busy playing, raised his hand in a form of a cheer without even turning around. "Yesung-hyung, fighting!!"</p><p>"Our Yesex~" Heechul added as he kept on looking at the cards in his hand.</p><p>Maybe it was the sudden change in atmosphere. Maybe it was the way Yesung looked at him unwaveringly. Maybe it was the way the music seemed so familiar yet so foreign at the same time. Maybe it was the way his heart slowed down as he listened to the emotional way Yesung sang the song.</p><p>Yesung usually sang sincerely and sadly. But this time, he seemed… fervent? Passionate? <em> Happy</em>?</p><p>
  <em> ...in love? </em>
</p><p>“<em>You’re the one I will keep, you’re the one I will love… Yes</em>,” Yesung sang with a slow smile, “<em>because I’m happy enough if I could be with you.</em>”</p><p>It was surreal. It was like everything was flipped upside down.</p><p>
  <em> I never expected that the song I always made fun of to tease and imitate Yesung-hyung… </em>
</p><p>
  <em> ...would be the very same song that brings us together at this moment. </em>
</p><p>“Lee Hyukjae, I love you~” Yesung finished with a laugh as he got off the stage.</p><p>The moment the words flew out of Yesung's mouth, the ones playing Go Fish suddenly stood up from the ground and clapped loudly, their excited voices ringing in Eunhyuk's ears. Ryeowook, Kyuhyun, and Siwon also seemed to have just gotten back from buying food, cheering along with the others.</p><p>"Eyyy, bring your cheesy flirting elsewhere!" Ryeowook said, laughing.</p><p>"Ahh, young love~" Heechul teased as they went back to their game.</p><p>When all the others went back to their own business, Yesung sat beside Eunhyuk, holding the latter's hand in his. Eunhyuk tightened the grip, reminded of how small Yesung's hand was and how good it felt laced against his fingers.</p><p>Yesung leaned towards him, gazing at him face-to-face. "Hyukjae-ya," he said softly, his body heat warming the space between them, "will you go out with me?"</p><p>Eunhyuk's jaw dropped open. "Huh…?" he said dumbly. Suddenly, the alcohol seemed to disappear from his system, causing him to sober up against his will.</p><p>Yesung feigned seriousness. "Do you really want me to repeat it?"</p><p>The look in his hyung's eyes made Eunhyuk swallow the sudden lump in his throat. "N—No! No need!" he said weakly.</p><p>Yesung laughed. "Then," he said, reaching out and taking hold of Eunhyuk's chin, "kiss me if you'll say yes."</p><p>"<em>WHAT?!</em>" Eunhyuk gasped, then his eyes darted around to see if anyone was looking. Thankfully, loud music was already filling the room since Ryeowook and Kyuhyun were drunkenly singing a popular pop song and Siwon was laughing loudly as the two maknaes were missing the beat as they danced.</p><p>Yesung smiled. "But if you'll say no, then I'll let go." He made an attempt to retract his hand back to his side.</p><p>Eunhyuk's eyes widened. Without even thinking, he quickly leaned towards Yesung and pressed his lips against his.</p><p>Not long after they made contact, they heard an indignant squeak nearby.</p><p>"<em>Yah!! </em> You two get a room!" Heechul yelled, covering his eyes exaggeratedly.</p><p>"Leave them alone," Leeteuk said, laughing as he placed an arm around Heechul's shoulders and made him face away. "Let's just not look at their direction."</p><p>Eunhyuk instantly pulled away, his ears alarmingly red. Yesung chuckled and hugged the younger to his chest, rubbing his back soothingly.</p><p>"Thank you for choosing me."</p><p>"Shut up," Eunhyuk mumbled, humiliated.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Epilogue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><b><em>“H</em></b>yung… I don’t want to sing a duet with you just yet after all,” said Eunhyuk.</p><p>Yesung looked at him, surprised. “Oh? Why not?”</p><p>“Because hyung wrote the song while thinking of me as your dongsaeng,” Eunhyuk replied simply, folding his arms across his chest. “So I don’t want to sing it with you.”</p><p>There was silence for a moment before Yesung burst into laughter.</p><p>“Okay, okay, I’ll humor you, then,” Yesung said in amusement. “So what shall I do with it in the meantime?”</p><p>“You mean the song?”</p><p>“Yeah. What else would it be?”</p><p>“Well…” Eunhyuk pondered over it for a moment, then grinned widely.</p><p>Yesung stared at him. He had met tons of people in his life, but for him, Eunhyuk’s smile always seemed the brightest.</p><p>“Compose another one, then we’ll release a mini-album together!” Eunhyuk proposed.</p><p>“What?” Yesung was taken aback by the unexpected suggestion. “Wait, you mean…?”</p><p>“Yeah! A collab!!” Eunhyuk said enthusiastically. “Or… we could form a <em> unit </em> together?!”</p><p>“A <em> unit</em>?! Wait, wait.” Yesung raised his arms as a form of surrender. “You’re getting too excited about this. Let’s talk slowly… Besides, what could we name our unit anyway?”</p><p>“Er… Tom &amp; Jerry?”</p><p>“That’s ridiculous and you know it…”</p><p>“But <em> hyung</em>! Don’t you want to have a lot of duets with me?? If it goes well, we could perform your — <em> our </em> songs on stage together!”</p><p>“I know that, but…” Suddenly, Yesung stopped in his tracks, seemingly staring at something. Eunhyuk followed his gaze and realized that his hyung was looking at a newly-renovated coffee shop in the new district.</p><p>“I’ve never seen that café before! Hyuk-ah! Should we—?” Yesung made an attempt to grab Eunhyuk’s arm and lead him towards the direction of the shop.</p><p>However, Eunhyuk seemed to be faster than him.</p><p>“We gotta take a lot of pictures there, hyung!!” Eunhyuk exclaimed as he grabbed Yesung’s arm and started to run, dragging the older along with him.</p><p>“Wa — Wait!! Ow, you’re pulling me too hard, <em> ouch</em>!!”</p><p>“Come <em> on</em>, hyung! We have to be the first ones there!!”</p><p>“Yah, aren't <em> I </em> supposed to be the café lover here??!”</p><p>“Hahahaha! It’s all your fault! You infected me with your coffee-loving disease!”</p><p>“It’s <em> my </em> fault now?!”</p><p>Despite himself, Yesung let himself be dragged by Eunhyuk as they finally settled in one of the tables. He stared at the younger’s excited face as he took out his phone and began to search for his newly-installed latest camera app.</p><p>
  <em> So cute. </em>
</p><p>“We’re making another memory, right, Yesung-hyung?” Eunhyuk said happily, gesturing for his hyung to pose for the picture.</p><p>Yesung nodded in response, his smile lighting up his features. “Yeah. Another beautiful memory.”</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <em> It took us quite a while, but… </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I’m glad both of us fell in love. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗</p><p>
  <em> fin </em>
</p><p>╚═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╝</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Extra #1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><b><em>"W</em></b><em>hat??? </em> Really?!"</p><p>"<em>Hyung!! </em> Not so loud!!"</p><p>"But this… this is… <em> HAHAHA</em>! This is <em> amazing</em>!"</p><p>"Aish, <em> hyung</em>!!"</p><p>Heechul wiped the tears from his eyes. "Ah, our Eunhyukkie… you're growing up so fast…"</p><p>Eunhyuk looked scandalized. "Hyung!" he whined. "You're acting as if I've never been in a relationship before!"</p><p>"I know, I know, but…!" Heechul began to laugh again, his expression clearly that of amazement. "With our Yesungie…?! I never thought… <em> wow…</em>!!"</p><p>Eunhyuk facepalmed. "I knew I should've told Teukie-hyung instead…"</p><p>"Jungsoo?? Ah, you shouldn't," Heechul remarked, waving his finger in a dismissive motion. "He's an old man. He won't be able to help you with anything." He then burst into laughter.</p><p>"...Your notion about me is quite touching, Heechul-ah," a new voice cut in, void of all emotion.</p><p>Eunhyuk and Heechul whipped their heads towards the source only to be greeted by Leeteuk's unamused expression as he stood staring at them in the open doorway.</p><p>"O—Oh, Jungsoo-ya!" Heechul exclaimed, stammering a bit as he stood up and gave his same-age friend a wave. "How nice to see you here!" He let out a nervous laugh. "Er… how long have you been listening…?"</p><p>"Long enough," Leeteuk replied simply. "You two were too engrossed in your conversation to even notice me."</p><p>"H—Hyung," Eunhyuk said anxiously, "e—even my…?"</p><p>This time, Leeteuk cracked a smile. "Yes, even your confession, Eunhyuk-ah."</p><p>Eunhyuk slapped his hands against his face, jaw open, looking very much like the famous Scream painting.</p><p>Heechul, on the other hand, looked fairly unfazed. "Well, it's not like Teukie will spread your secret around, right?"</p><p>"Yeah, but…!" Eunhyuk wanted to crawl into a hole at that moment. "It's <em> embarrassing</em>, hyung!"</p><p>Leeteuk laughed as he settled down on the couch next to Eunhyuk. Reaching out, he ruffled the younger's hair messily, earning him a muffled sound of protest. "Yah, why would you be embarrassed? We've known each other for more than a decade already, this punk," Leeteuk remarked affectionately. "And I'm happy for you, Eunhyuk-ah. I'm sure Yesung feels the same way, too."</p><p>Eunhyuk whirled his head towards Leeteuk, eyes wide. "Huh? How can you say that, hyung?"</p><p>Leeteuk blinked. "Well, because he adores you?"</p><p>"Doesn't make any difference. Yesung adores all those younger than him," Heechul interjected.</p><p>"But doesn't Yesung seem to like Eunhyuk more?" Leeteuk retorted.</p><p>"I don't know…" Heechul looked thoughtful for a moment. "He and Ryeowook seem pretty close."</p><p>"Aish, hyungs…" Eunhyuk said. "You're <em> not </em> helping…"</p><p>Leeteuk was silent for a moment. "Well, then instead of making assumptions… Why don't <em> you </em> ask him yourself, Eunhyuk-ah?"</p><p>"Huh?" Eunhyuk's eyes widened.</p><p>"Confess to him," Leeteuk said simply. "Tell him you like him. Go to a place where it's quiet enough that both of you can talk freely."</p><p>"Wait, wait!! <em> Me</em>??" Eunhyuk said in a panic. "Confess to Yesung-hyung?! <em> Now</em>???"</p><p>Leeteuk smiled. "When else are you going to tell him?"</p><p>"Yeah, go for it, anchovy," Heechul said as he whipped out his phone, intent on browsing through SNS. "Yesung would prefer it anyway if you told him face-to-face."</p><p>"But… <em> But…</em>!" Eunhyuk's cheeks were starting to turn pink. "Hyung won't take me seriously! And I can't talk to him seriously, either!"</p><p>"That's because both of you keep on pestering each other," Heechul retorted bluntly. "Yesung can be serious at times, so he's fine, but you, anchovy, you gotta keep your comments to yourself and show him your feelings sincerely."</p><p>"You know how Yesung is," Leeteuk added gently. "You have to talk things straight with him, otherwise he won't get it. So, you <em> have </em> to tell him and make sure he understands you, okay?"</p><p>"Wait a minute, wait a minute…" Eunhyuk said, his mind spinning. "Why, of all people to give me advice about my feelings, should it be <em> you two</em>?!"</p><p>"Why?" Heechul said, looking up from his phone. His expression seemed mildly offended. "Out of all of us, <em> I'm </em> the most experienced here! I've never been rejected my entire life," he boasted exaggeratedly.</p><p>Leeteuk sighed, but not unkindly. "Don't mind him… Eunhyuk-ah, just go for it once. If you want, Heechul and I will keep an eye on the conversation and intervene when necessary—"</p><p>Eunhyuk's eyes grew as wide as saucers. "What?! No, no… <em> No</em>! <em> Don't</em>! Ahh, that's so <em> embarrassing</em>!" he complained. "I'm <em> not </em> a kid, hyung!"</p><p>"But…" Leeteuk began.</p><p>"Well, it doesn't sound like a bad idea—" Heechul said at the same time.</p><p>"No!" Eunhyuk said, horrified. "Nono<em>no</em>! Don't you hyungs <em> dare</em>!"</p><p>"But look at the big picture, Eunhyuk-ah," Heechul started to reason excitedly. "If Teukie and I spy on your date—"</p><p>"<em>No! </em> You just wanna get some good gossip out of us!" Eunhyuk wailed, knowing his hyung all too well.</p><p>Heechul guffawed at that, slapping the couch as he threw his head back. Leeteuk, on the other hand, tried to remedy the situation.</p><p>"Eunhyuk-ah, if you don't want us to spy on you, then it's okay—"</p><p>"What do you mean, '<em>it's okay' </em>?" Heechul interjected. "Teukie, we gotta help the younger ones out! As hyungs—"</p><p>"Aish, <em> hyung</em>!! No!" Eunhyuk said, frustrated as he stood up from his seat. "Teukie-hyung, don't let Heechul-hyung out of your sight later! I don't want him to interfere!"</p><p>Heechul couldn't resist a laugh. "Yah, don't worry, you punk! Teuk and I have schedules later. Hyung was just messing with you!"</p><p>Eunhyuk paused in his tracks, eyeing Heechul suspiciously. "Really?"</p><p>Heechul nodded reassuringly. "Yeah! Don't you trust your hyung?" he added teasingly.</p><p>Eunhyuk shook his head. "No."</p><p>"Ah, that hurts…!"</p><p>"Okay, okay, let's all calm down." Leeteuk nudged Heechul warningly. "Hyuk-ah, your stylist should be looking for you right now. You should finish your makeup before we start the shoot."</p><p>Eunhyuk nodded, still glancing at Heechul with slight suspicion in his eyes. "Okay… I trust you, hyung." Then he left the room, leaving the two oldest members sitting on the couch.</p><p>Leeteuk turned to Heechul who was looking at him innocently. "Hey, you shouldn't tease him too much," he scolded. "He's being really serious about this."</p><p>Heechul shrugged his shoulders, a grin forming on his face. "Who says I was teasing?"</p><p>Leeteuk blinked. "Huh?"</p><p>"I lied. I don't have a schedule later," Heechul admitted, laughing loudly as an evil plan formed inside his mind. "I know <em> you </em> don't, too!"</p><p>"So?" Leeteuk narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Don't tell me…"</p><p>Heechul stood up and grabbed his hand, his grin already reaching his ears. "Let's spy on them!!"</p><p>"<em>Huh?! </em>"</p><p>"Come on! It'll be fun!!"</p><p>"No!" Leeteuk said, shaking his head. "I'll spend time with Shimkoong instead."</p><p>"What?! You'd rather pick your dog over <em> me</em>, your same-age friend?" Heechul exclaimed, making puppy-dog eyes at his leader.</p><p>Leeteuk looked unfazed, apparently used to Heechul's antics. "I'm <em> not </em> going with this crazy plan of yours."</p><p>"But Teukie…"</p><p>"No."</p><p>"Jungsoo-yaaaa…"</p><p>"I said <em> NO</em>."</p><p>"<em>Please? </em>"</p><hr/><p>-;-</p><hr/><p><b> <em>"I</em> </b> don't know why I let you talk me into this…" Leeteuk grumbled to himself as they entered the shop with disguised appearances.</p><p>"Because you love me~" Heechul teased as he inconspicuously looked around for his dongsaengs. "Anyway, where are those two bastards sitting? I can't see them!"</p><p>Leeteuk squinted his eyes as he looked around as well. "Are you getting <em> blind</em>?" he said flatly. "They're sitting right there — <em> wait</em>, did Yesung just glance our way?!"</p><p>"<em>What</em>?! Yah, let's hurry up and find a table where we can't be seen!!"</p><p>"Yah, slow down!!"</p><p>"<em>Be quiet!! </em>"</p><p>The two kept on whispering harshly to each other as they settled in on a table where they could see Yesung and Eunhyuk talking. Suddenly, they quieted as they saw Eunhyuk grinning widely and then holding hands with Yesung.</p><p>Leeteuk and Heechul squealed.</p><p>"Wow, so <em> exciting</em>!" Leeteuk gushed. "Doesn't that mean Eunhyuk's confession succeeded?!"</p><p>"Of course! What else would it be?!" Heechul reached out and hugged Leeteuk out of happiness. "I'm <em> so </em> proud of them! My babies~"</p><p>"They're <em> my </em> babies, too!" Leeteuk said, laughing.</p><p>"Then they're <em> our </em> babies!" Heechul said, chuckling. "Does this mean we're their parents?"</p><p>Leeteuk shook his head, still smiling. "I wouldn't go that far… Besides, you'd make a bad mother."</p><p>Heechul stared at him, offended. "Yah, why am <em> I </em> the mother?! <em> You </em> fit that role much better than I do!"</p><p>Leeteuk looked like he was about to protest, but then he seemed to remember something. "Ah, right… Yeah, <em> I </em>should be the mother since you don't know how to cook…"</p><p>"<em>Yah!</em>" Heechul punched him in the shoulder playfully. "At least I'm a father who works hard for the children to live a good life, so that's fine." Heechul began to laugh. "But why are we suddenly talking about being a married couple? We really are crazy old men with nothing to do…"</p><p>"I don't mind," Leeteuk said simply as he sipped his drink. "If it's with you, it's fine."</p><p>"..." Heechul stared at him, jaw dropping open. "Hey… a—are you revealing your true feelings for me right now…?!"</p><p>Leeteuk looked up, then smiled teasingly. "What if I <em> am</em>?"</p><p>"!!!" Heechul pressed his palm against his heart, eyes wide. "Whoa! D—Don't say things like that! I might really b—believe it, you know…"</p><p>"You <em> should </em> believe me," Leeteuk said casually as he continued sipping his drink again. "I'm being sincere, after all. Besides, you did say earlier that you already know I love you, right?"</p><p>Heechul choked on his saliva, his ears turning red. "<em>What?!</em>"</p><p>Leeteuk couldn't hold it in anymore and laughed.</p><p>
  <em> It's so fun to tease Heechul. </em>
</p><hr/><p>
  <em> fin </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Extra #2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> The backstory after the events of Part I... </em>
</p><p> </p><p><b> <em>W</em></b>hen Eunhyuk entered the doors the next morning, he was startled to see his members chattering excitedly with each other.</p><p>Ryeowook noticed him and his features brightened in an instant. “<em> Eunhyuk-hyung</em>!” he exclaimed, gathering the others’ attention as he quickly sauntered up to Eunhyuk and gave him a warm embrace. “Congratulations on your relationship!”</p><p>Eunhyuk was dumbfounded. “...Huh? Wait, where did you hear that from?”</p><p>Ryeowook pulled away and answered simply, “From Heechul-hyung.”</p><p>Eunhyuk resisted the urge to facepalm at that moment. He should’ve known that it was a bad idea to text Heechul about the details. He had been too excited last night, and Heechul was the first one who asked him how it went, so he had blabbered everything without even thinking twice.</p><p>
  <em> ...I’m an idiot. </em>
</p><p>“So it’s <em> true</em>?!” Donghae’s voice cut in as he grabbed Eunhyuk’s shoulders and turned the latter around to face him. “Yah, Eunhyuk-ah… never knew you had it in you,” Donghae praised, patting his same-age friend on the back.</p><p>“Wait a sec!!” Eunhyuk wailed in discomfort. “Get away from me! It’s <em> embarrassing</em>!”</p><p>“Hyung! Since when??” Kyuhyun interjected with a bright grin, always eager to know the details.</p><p>“It was back in 2017, right?!” Donghae supplied, his eyes sparkling.</p><p>“Tell us <em> everything</em>!!” Ryeowook pressed, shaking Eunhyuk by the shoulders.</p><p>“Just go ask Yesung-hyung…” Eunhyuk said weakly.</p><p>“Yesung-hyung doesn’t get affected by teasings and it’s much more fun to ask you!” Ryeowook replied, and at that moment, Eunhyuk had seen the smile of a devil for the first time in his life.</p><p><em> This is all Heechul-hyung’s fault, </em> Eunhyuk sobbed.</p><hr/><p>-;-</p><hr/><p><b> <em>Y</em></b>esung cheered silently to himself as he browsed through the news, proud that Super Clap was doing well. Even Pink Magic was doing fairly better than he expected. In fact, it ranked 4th on the Gaon Chart not that long ago.</p><p>“Hyuuung!” Ryeowook’s familiar high-pitched voice rang in his ears. “<em>Congratulations!</em>”</p><p>Yesung smiled, still immersed in browsing through his SNS. “Thanks, Wook-ah,” he responded gratefully as Ryeowook hugged him from behind, arms around his neck.</p><p>“Who would’ve thought that it would be Eunhyuk-hyung, right?” Ryeowook said, chuckling as he let go of his hyung. “You’re happy, right, hyung?”</p><p>“Huh? Eunhyuk?” Yesung said, confused as he tore his gaze away from his phone. “Why are you talking about him so suddenly?”</p><p>Ryeowook punched him playfully on the shoulder. “Eyy, don’t be shy now, Yesung-hyung. We won’t tease you too much, OK? I promise. I even told Kyu and Donghae to mellow it down with you.”</p><p>Yesung chuckled in disbelief. “What are you talking about?”</p><p>Ryeowook leaned towards him and spoke as if he was sharing a secret. “I heard about it. About yesterday. You and Eunhyuk-hyung.”</p><p>A lightbulb went off in Yesung’s head and he sighed, nodding in understanding. “Ah, that’s what you were referring to. Yeah, I was surprised, too. I didn’t expect it, actually.”</p><p>It was true. Yesung never really expected Eunhyuk to be the one dragging him out to spend time, and to a <em> café</em>, of all places. He should’ve known that the members would tease him about this since both of them were opposites and would often bicker with each other whenever they were together.</p><p>“You shouldn’t have pretended not to know anything about it when I asked!” Ryeowook exclaimed, laughing.</p><p>“But I really had no idea what you were talking about,” Yesung defended, though he was smiling.</p><p>“Hyung is getting slow these days~ must be because of old age!” Ryeowook teased before bolting towards the door.</p><p>“Yah!! Kim Ryeowook!” Yesung shouted as he ran after the eternal maknae.</p><hr/><p>-;-</p><hr/><p><b> <em>A</em></b>fter that, Yesung seemed to be getting a lot of knowing looks from the members. Whenever he was with Eunhyuk and the others were in the same room, Kyuhyun and Donghae would glance their way, grin like idiots, and wiggle their eyebrows suggestively. Yesung would just laugh them off, shaking his head at the childish actions of his dongsaengs. Eunhyuk though, on the other hand, seemed to mind them a lot; he’d blush and cover his face with his hands, and sometimes he’d even kick them in the butt whenever they teased the two of them.</p><p><em> Typical kids… </em> Yesung thought to himself as he watched Kyuhyun, Ryeowook, Donghae, and even Shindong join in on the teasing, making poor Eunhyuk’s cheeks even redder than before.<em>They never grow up… </em></p><p>Heechul snickered to himself as he sat in the corner playing games on his phone. “Jongwoon’s such a cool guy,” he remarked in amusement.</p><p>“Definitely a cool guy,” Siwon said, nodding his head in agreement.</p><p>Leeteuk placed a hand over his mouth to hide a chuckle. “Eunhyuk’s the only one getting flustered. It’s so cute.”</p><p>“Must be nice to be in love~” Heechul commented airily.</p><hr/><p>
  <em> fin </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you so much to everyone who read and supported this fic! I am very grateful and I appreciate it a lot. ^^</p><p>See you all in another YeHyuk fic! &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>